The Bells Chime Beyond
by DiscordianSamba
Summary: After a near death encounter in a remote village in Hokkaido, Heiji makes a pact with a local fox goddess in exchange for his life. While trying to navigate his new existence, and deal with the scars left behind from almost dying, Heiji searches for a way to return to being human, all while encountering any number of mysteries along the way. (AU)
1. The Village in Which Foxes Dwell

AN: I actually had planned out this story before I had started planning _Powered_ , but I had also made the decision to wait until the current storyline of the manga was over, seeing as it featured Heiji- I wanted to hold back on really beginning the story on the off chance that Gosho actually allowed Heiji to confess (how about that ending huh). With that arc finished, this story is finally ready to be released!

Once again, of course, it's a Heiji-centric fic, but unlike _Blood and Snow_ , the mysteries I've got planned for this story are a lot more supernatural adjacent in a way- the supernatural is involved, but it's generally something more subtle for the most part than the more overt nature of _Blood and Snow_ \- but will also feature more varied supernatural elements at the same time, beyond just vampires. I think it'll be pretty fun and different from the previous story I've written (and of course, Powered is just completely a different thing lol) so I really hope you guys enjoy it because I've got some fun stuff planned for this story!

Please let me know how you feel about this story! Your thoughts and impressions are important to me, and I love hearing from you!

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter One**

 **The Village in Which the Foxes Dwell**

* * *

The first thing he noticed was the sound of bells.

Their distinct chime faintly rang out from somewhere in the distance- from where exactly, was something that he couldn't pinpoint. It almost felt as if the sound was welcoming him to the village. It was a strangely pleasant sound.

This place, a small village that went by the name of Seishina, nestled in the mountains of Hokkaido, was certainly pretty far away from his hometown of Osaka. But the letter that had been sent to him from this place had immediately caught his interest, and considering the client in question had agreed to not only pay his travel expenses, but to provide him with a place to stay while he was here, he didn't exactly mind.

And there was, of course, the scent of a case that drew him here.

"Let's see, the shrine is..." Pulling out the letter that he had been sent, a map of the village helpfully enclosed inside of it, Heiji looked it over carefully. From the nearest, he had rented a motorcycle, and had driven the rest of the way out of here. "...that way."

Tucking the letter and map back away, he started up the motorcycle again, heading down the road. It wasn't long before the shrine rose up in front of him, it's long steps leading up deeper into the mountains than the rest of the village. The shrine itself appeared to be built into one of the bigger mountains that encircled the village. The faint chill of an early winter clung to the air, but it wasn't so bad that a light jacket wasn't enough to handle it.

Parking the rental motorcycle at the bottom of the steps to the shrine for the moment, Heiji took off his helmet, hanging it on one of the handlebars. Pulling out his luggage from the storage compartment, he glanced up the steps to the shrine. It seemed that his current client lived here. She had described herself in her letter as the chief priestess of the local shrine, having taken it over from her grandfather who had recently passed away.

Yamagishi Ritsuko. That was the name of the woman who had requested his help, hearing of his reputation from as far away as snowy Hokkaido. She'd given only a few details about her request in her letter, apparently seeming hesitant to provide more information in such a format, but it had been more than enough to catch his attention.

After all, a priestess didn't normally receive death threats.

Shouldering his bag, Heiji made the trek up the stairs to the shrine. Pausing mid-step halfway up, he turned around to glance back at the scenery he was leaving behind. The sun stretched over the small village, and he could tell even from here that what was probably normally a sleepy town was in the midst of the process of getting ready for a big event. As he ascended the steps to the shrine, there had been a fair number of people coming and going aside from him.

Some kind of festival, he thought.

Making his way up to the top of the stairs, his suspicions were confirmed. There were unmistakable evidence of the beginning of setting up for a festival. The shrine was bustling with activity, but it didn't take him long to spot the woman who was most likely his client.

A burst of red hair, almost the color of the hakama she wore, was the first thing that greeted his eyes. Yamagishi Ritsuko, as it turned out, was a petite looking woman with a shock of red hair, that she wore in a long braid. Her eyes were a deep green color, reminiscent of leaves, and her skin was rather on the pale side. She glanced up partway through talking to a young man, taking notice of Heiji. Making a small face of surprise- maybe he was earlier than she had expected- she made an apology to the man, and quickly excused herself from the conversation.

"Hattori Heiji, correct?" She asked, keeping her voice low. When he nodded, a look of relief seemed to wash over her features. "Thank you for coming all this way. I'm a little tied up right at this second, but you can make yourself at home in that annex over there." She said, pointing towards it. "It should only be a few more minutes."

"Yeah, no problem." Heiji said, glancing around the shrine once more. "I guess yer gettin' set up for a festival of some kind."

"Yes." Ritsuko told him, nodding her head. "So it's a bit busy right now. I'll be with you as soon as I can though, I promise!"

"It's fine, it's fine." Waving a hand, Heiji was quick to reassure her. Allowing Ritsuko to quickly excuse herself, he made his way over towards the annex she had pointed out. He paused once reaching it, noticing that there appeared to be a pair of foxes resting underneath it's porch. Tilting his head to get a better look at them, one of them briefly lifted up it's head, looking back at Heiji, before it settled right back down into it's nap again.

"Hm." Blinking, Heiji shrugged his shoulders, carefully heading into the annex itself. Taking a seat once inside, he set down his luggage, and leaned back, glancing around the room. It seemed that this annex was possibly designed as a meeting space- there was more than enough room for what would be more than a few villagers around it's table.

It wasn't long before Ritsuko joined him, sliding open the door and giving him an apologetic smile. He couldn't help but notice that as the priestess entered, the pair of foxes that had been sleeping underneath the porch had apparently come in right behind her, finding a nice corner of the room to curl back up in and return to sleep.

"Is that normal around here?" Heiji asked, glancing over towards the slumbering foxes, neither of whom seemed to pay him any mind.

"The foxes?" Ritsuko asked, glancing back at them, before nodding her head. "It's always like this. There's a lot of foxes in this area. Some of them used to be pets before they were released back into the wild, so there's a number of them that are quite used to humans." She told him. "That's Sumiko, and the one with the two white rings on it's tail is Yuki."

"You can tell 'em apart?" Heiji asked, quirking a brow. They kind of all looked the basically the same to him.

"Yes, ever since I was a little girl." Ritsuko nodded her head, laughing slightly as she scratched her cheek. "You could say it's my special ability. I've always been able to tell the foxes that live around here apart. Ah, by the way," she blinked, glancing around the room. "Is your number two not here yet?"

"Ah, sorry." It was now Heiji's turn to apologize. "Actually she came down with a cold right 'afore we left. She was really bummed out about it too, I think she was lookin' forward to comin' here."

"Is that so?" Ritsuko blinked, frowning a little. "I suppose it can't be helped. I hope she gets better soon, then."

"So?" Heiji pulled out the letter, sliding it towards her. "You want to fill me in on the whole reason why ya called me out here? I get the feelin' there were things ya were leavin' out in yer letter."

"Yes, that's true." Ritsuko nodded, once more glancing around the room, more nervously this time. "Then, I'll start with the festival itself, I think. That's the easiest place."

"As I mentioned before, there's a lot of foxes in this area. This shrine is dedicated to foxes as well, I'm sure you noticed that much, Hattori-san." Ritsuko began. "For as long as anyone can remember, Seishina has been called the Village of the Foxes, and it's our yearly tradition to have a festival celebrating the foxes once every year. It was still a small, local event when I was a little girl, but ever since a reporter who visited during the festival wrote a story about it, more and more people have been coming every year."

"And the festival has expanded with that." Ritsuko told him, her eyes narrowing a little. "If it was just left at that, it would be fine. But for the past three years or so, it seems like the mayor has been wanting to take advantage of the festival's popularity to expand the village. That in itself is fine too, but..."

"Let me guess. He's an unscrupulous guy tryin' to carelessly tear up the habitat of the foxes?" Heiji guessed.

"Yes, that's right." Inclining her head, Ritsuko clenched her fists, clutching at the fabric of her hakama. "Not just that- he also wants to tear up several sacred spots, and wants to expand into the Fox's Mountain."

"Fox's Mountain?" Heiji asked.

"It's a site that has been sacred to the village for generations. It's the mountain this shrine is built into. Ancient tradition states that aside from the shrine, the rest of the mountain is supposed to be the foxes' territory, hence the Fox's Mountain." Ritsuko told him. "The village elder and I opposed him, along with my grandfather, but he has a lot of supporters. Especially from people outside the village, people with powerful ties who seem to see a lot of profit in the region."

"There's even talk about tearing out the shrine entirely to build a fancy ski resort on the Fox's Mountain. Isn't that horrible?" Ritsuko asked. "They want to clear cut the entire mountain to build ski courses, even!"

"It certainly sounds pretty terrible." Heiji agreed, folding his arms in front of his chest. "An'? How does that bring us to the matter of the death threats?"

"In order to stop the mayor's plans, the village elder and myself have gathered together a group of concerned citizens. We're trying to get the Fox's Mountain protected as a habitat for the foxes. If we manage to do that, even the mayor and his powerful friends won't be able to touch it."

"Naturally, that's made the mayor really angry." Ritsuko told him. "Ever since then, I started receiving anonymous death threats in the mail. Even that much, I could handle, but things changed recently." Her gaze flickered briefly back towards the sleeping foxes in the corner of the room, before she turned back towards Heiji. "Two weeks ago, someone placed the body of a strangled fox on top of the offering box."

A flash of anger bolted through Heiji's eyes- whoever was behind this had some nerve, mixing an innocent animal up into this. The fact that they were willing to kill an animal didn't bode well either- someone who was willing to kill an animal that easily probably could resolve themselves to kill a human. "That's horrible." He said, his voice low. "That's takin' things way too far."

"It really is." Ritsuko agreed. "I called the fox Mai-chan. She was a sweet fox, who often hung around the shrine. The children here really loved her. To think someone would do something that horrible to her..." She trailed off, gripping the fabric of her hakama tightly. "But that's not all."

"There's more?" Heiji asked, eyes narrowing.

"Recently when I was cleaning my grandfather's things, I discovered something." Ritsuko said, her voice almost a whisper, just loud enough to hear. "Right before he died, my grandfather had apparently also received the same threats I am now."

The silence that cast over the room was brief, but sharp. Closing his eyes, Heiji took in and let out a deep breath, before opening them once more. "And so ya started to suspect yer grandfather's death might have been caused by someone else?"

"At first, I really did just think it was a tragic accident." Ritsuko told him. "Once a week, the head of the shrine carries out an offering to Grandmother Fox's shrine, deep in the Fox's Mountain. A part of that path can be somewhat dangerous, so when grandfather's body was found washed up by the river that circles the village, we thought he had just slipped. His eyesight was getting worse, and I kept pleading with him to hand over the duty to someone else, but..."

"Grandmother Fox?" Heiji asked, quirking an eyebrow. "There's another shrine on this mountain aside from this one?"

"Ah, yes." Glancing up at him, Ritsuko placed a hand over her heart, trying to calm herself a little. It seemed like this had ripped open a wound that was still raw in her heart. "Grandmother Fox is the fox who watches over all the foxes who live on the Fox's Mountain. She's an ancient white fox, at least two times bigger than any other fox. There's a small shrine dedicated just to her in the mountains that we're tasked with looking after too."

"And does anyone else know where this shrine is?" Heiji asked.

"No, they shouldn't." Ritsuko shook her head. "Well, that's what I say, but everyone knows at least where the path to the shrine starts. And after generations of use, the trail has become pretty well worn on it's own."

"An' it's not impossible that someone might have followed the old man, I take it?" He asked.

"It's not impossible." Ritsuko agreed.

"So, if the situation is so serious, why haven't ya contacted the local police?" Heiji asked. "Surely they'd be able to help ya just as well."

"Well..." Ritsuko hesitated, as if she was uncertain about telling him this. "Actually, the person in charge of the village's police is a personal friend of the mayor. So..."

"So yer sayin' the police might be involved." Heiji finished for her. "This certainly sounds like a complicated situation you've found yerself in, Yamagishi-han. Is there anyone in the village ya can rely on?"

"There are." Ritsuko said. "The village elder, of course, but he's getting on in years himself. There's my fiancee, he works as a veterinarian for our village and the surrounding villages. Many others as well."

"Is he here now- your fiancee?" Heiji asked.

"No, he's gone to a neighboring village to help a calf give birth. He won't be back until tomorrow, at least." Ritsuko shook her head. "His name is Inugami Takahiro. Actually, we were supposed to get married during this festival, but with everything that's going on right now, I don't know if that will happen."

Closing his eyes for a moment, Heiji mulled over the information he had been given. "Alright." He said, getting to his feet, attracting the attention of the previously slumbering foxes. "I'll accept yer case, Yamagishi-han."

"Thank you so much, Hattori-san!" A look of relief washed over her face as she got to her feet. "I don't know how I can repay you!"

"Now, now, I haven't even gotten started investigatin' yet." Heiji said, holding up his hands. "Well, first of all, I'd like to get a look at the path up to the shrine ya mentioned earlier. Can ya make that happen, Yamagishi-han?"

"Ah, just Ritsuko is fine." She told him, before frowning a little. "And I don't know... honestly, only the head of the shrine is allowed to visit Grandmother Fox's shrine. But..." Nodding her head, she came to a conclusion. "I'm sure that in this situation, Grandmother Fox would want this mystery sorted out just as much, so I'm certain it would be alright. Ah, but..." She hesitated again, glancing outside. "It's starting to get late in the day, and it will be dark before long. It wouldn't be safe to take the path then."

"Then what about first thing in the mornin'?" Heiji asked. It would be harder to search for clues in the dark anyways. "And? Yer letter said something in it about a condition I needed to follow if I'm goin' to investigate around here- what was it?"

"Well you see..."

* * *

"Oh, so one of the helpers this year has already arrived?"

"Yes!" With a wide smile, Ritsuko stepped aside slightly, readily answering the older woman who had come to visit the shrine first thing in the morning. Dimly, Heiji found himself thinking that Kudo would be nothing but complaints about having to wake up this early, and wondered what his shrunken rival was doing at the moment.

"This is Heiji! He came all way from Osaka to help with the festival this year!" Ritsuko introduced him. "The other nine are supposed to arrive over the course of this week."

The condition, as it had turned out, had been something Heiji had been suspecting ever since Ritsuko began describing the situation to him. If the people who had been sending her threatening letters knew that she had hired a detective to solve the case, there was a possibility that they might step up any plans that they had.

Luckily, Ritsuko had just the thing to mask that.

"It's good to see people interested in our little festival lately!" The old woman beamed. "Be sure to work hard, young man!"

"Yeah, I will." Heiji nodded, giving the old lady his best smile, watching her as she headed toward the offering box. "So this why ya mentioned I should bring someone to come along with me."

"I thought it would be even less suspicious if there were two of you." Ritsuko whispered, glancing over towards him.

As it turned out, it wasn't an uncommon practice for people from outside the village to participate in the festival. Before it became popular, it used to just be people from the surrounding villages, but with the recent increase in attention, there had been people from all over Japan wanting to be a part of the action personally. It was a four day festival, all total, and it took two weeks of prep work to get ready for it. From what Heiji had heard about it, it sounded like quite the spectacle.

It was too bad Kazuha wasn't here, she would have loved something like this, he thought.

"Sorry, to have you help with the cleaning, Ha- no, Heiji-kun." Ritsuko apologized. "After we finish this up, I'll show you the path to Grandmother Fox's shrine."

"It must be hard to run a shrine by yerself though, Ritsuko-han. Ya don't have any usual help around here?" He asked.

"Takahiro helps when he can." Ritsuko told him. "And it's really not that much trouble. It usually only really gets busy during the festival. Besides, the air's really good here."

The smile on her face was quickly wiped away as she looked towards the entrance towards the shrine, and Heiji watched as she seemed to stiffen. Glancing towards it herself, he took note of the person entering the ground- and right away, the first words that sprung to his mind were 'self-important' and 'insufferable'.

If this guy _wasn't_ the mayor, he'd eat his hat.

"M-mayor." Ritsuko stammered, swallowing a little. Heiji couldn't help but note her knuckles turning white from how tightly she gripped her broom. "What brings you here so early in the morning?"

"There's no need to look so tense, Ritsuko-chan." The mayor- whose name was Abe Daichi, Heiji had gathered- began, seemingly growing pleased at how she flinched from the way he addressed her. "What's wrong with the mayor of our lovely village visiting our lovely local shrine?"

"I don't want to hear that from the man who wants to tear it down." Ritsuko's town was sharp, but it seemed to be all she could do to not tremble. "What is it that you want, Mayor? I've already told you that I'm not giving up."

"Now, now, don't say that." Daichi gave her a rather businesslike smile. "I've already told you that we'll just be simply relocating the shrine to a better location. It's so remote out here, compared to the rest of the village. I'm sure you find it inconvenient too, Ritsuko-chan."

"I don't think she likes ya calling her that." Heiji butted in, unable to stay quiet. This definitely seemed like the kind of guy who tried to put profit above everything else. Probably couldn't make it in the big city, so he played at being a big fish in a much smaller pond. "Yer like three times her age, anyways, what's with the 'chan'?"

"Who are you supposed to be?" Daichi asked, turning his gaze towards Heiji. "I haven't seen you in the village before- this isn't for outsiders to butt in."

"He's not an outsider, at least not for the next two weeks." Ritsuko said, shooting Heiji a grateful look. "He's one of the volunteers for the festival."

"Hmph. Well, regardless, that's no tone with which to speak to your elders, boy." It seemed to take every little bit of control Heiji had in his body to not just outright deck this guy, an effort that was probably more than a little visible on his face as the middle aged man scoffed at him. "I can see this isn't a good time. I'll come back to discuss the matter of the mountain later."

Dismissing himself, the man headed back the way he came. Heiji couldn't help but notice that the whole atmosphere of the shrine seemed to relax as soon as he left.

"Ya okay?" Heiji asked, glancing down at Ritsuko, who was trying to steady her breathing.

"Y-yeah." Nodding her head, she quickly put on her best smile. "Now, why don't I show you the path to the shrine?"

"I'll take ya up on that offer." Heiji said, setting aside the broom he'd been using.

He had of course, talked with Ritsuko more thoroughly after dinner the previous evening. She'd shown him both the death threats she'd received, as well as the ones her grandfather had gotten. They were both printed on computer paper, but the style of the notes seemed similar enough that he was pretty certain that the same person was sending them.

Which didn't, of course, mean that they were necessarily the same ones who were behind the strangling of the fox, and the (possible) murder of her grandfather, though the odds were higher that they were. Naturally, the mayor was a prime suspect, but somehow Heiji doubted he was the type who would get his hands directly dirty like this.

It turned out that Ritsuko had actually sought outside aid prior to this- after the strangling of the fox, she'd sent a letter to the same journalist who had originally made the local festival so popular, asking him for his help. Even though he agreed to come to the village to speak with her, he never showed up. Naturally worried, Ritsuko had called his editor only to learn that he had indeed left for Seishina, but he hadn't heard anything from him since.

She could only fear the worst.

With Ritsuko, the sole heir to the shrine and the leader of the opposition, out of the way, the mayor could then proceed according to his plans. He definitely stood to profit from her death, as well as her grandfather's- so it wasn't unlikely that he was indirectly involved in all of this. How deeply that connection ran, Heiji wasn't certain, of course- this could also be the work of a follower of the mayor's who had decided to take things to extreme measures.

Out of the mayor's most prominent followers were the previously mentioned police chief, the mayor's first son, as well as several locals who had gotten quite rich by following the mayor's lead. He'd gotten all of their names from Ritsuko, of course.

Ritsuko's list of allies included of course, the aforementioned village elder and her fiancee, but also the local schoolteacher and principal, and many of the frequent visitors to the shrine. It seemed almost as if the village itself was split in half over this issue.

She'd mentioned that the mayor also had a second son, but had also mentioned that he was estranged from the family. He worked as a doctor, and when his father had learned that he had no intention of making a name for himself in one of Japan's big hospitals, but wanted to work as a doctor at the local clinic, he'd thrown a fit.

"The path starts here, Hattori-san." Ritsuko pointed out, causing Heiji to break out of his thoughts. Stretching out beyond them was a path that had been created by the weekly traffic of human feet, over the course of a hundred years. It lead deep into the mountain, from the looks of it. "Please do watch your step. The middle part can be more than a little treacherous."

She really hadn't been kidding about that, Heiji found himself thinking later, casting an eye down at the long drop below him. Straight below him was a fast running river- even if you managed to land in the river, and not on the rocks, you'd be swept away before you knew it if you fell from here. Briefly, a memory rose up in Heiji of the time he and Kazuha had fallen over that cliff on the so-called 'Mermaid Island'. With a pathway that barely allowed for two people walking side by side clinging to the side of the mountain itself, it was no wonder that people thought her grandfather's death had simply been an accident.

"Did ya notice anythin' strange about the path when ya used it after yer grandfather's death?" Heiji asked.

"No, not really." Ritsuko shook her head, moving along the rocky path with all the grace in the world. "Of course, I didn't think it could have been a murder then."

"An this river leads to where yer grandfather was found, right?" Heiji asked, casting a slightly wary glance at the rushing waters below him. He sure wouldn't want to fall down there, he thought. In the back of his mind, he couldn't help but think about how much that uncle from the detective agency would hate this place. Nothing in the world would be able to convince him to cross it.

"It does." Ritsuko told him. "I can show you to the spot he was found later, if you want."

"Yeah, that'd be good." If someone had shoved her grandfather off the cliff here, there wouldn't be much evidence left behind, Heiji thought. Especially not if it happened a year ago. Still, it was worth checking out.

Before long, the hazardous cliff side path gave way to safer and stabler ground, once more leading into the forest that seemed to cover the mountain. The path became a little less clear this way, so Heiji made sure to stay in step behind Ritsuko, just in case. If he managed to get himself lost in the middle of a case, he'd never hear the end of it from his father- or Kudo, for that matter.

"Ah, we're here."

Rays of bright sunlight were what first hit Heiji's eyes, and he winced a little from it, before they adjusted. Lying before them was a circular clearing, in which an old, but well kept shrine stood. There was a carving of a fox sitting in the middle of the shrine, a fox that had been carved with wisdom in it's eyes. Clustered around the shrine itself were a quartet of foxes, who barely paid the two visitors any mind.

"So this is the shrine, huh?" Heiji asked, glancing around. He wasn't quite sure what he had been expecting- maybe something a little creepier. Unexpectedly, it was strangely warm, almost inviting in a way. She'd mentioned briefly that there used to actually be two shrines like this one- but the location of the second one had long since been lost, and nobody knew where it was.

"You can look around if you want, Hattori-san. I'm going to perform the prayer, since I'm here." Ritsuko told him. "Ah, but don't stray too far into the forest. It's really easy to get lost in there."

"Have ya had people get lost in it 'afore?" Heiji asked, circling the shrine to get a better look at it. One of the foxes briefly raised it's head to look at him, before it got up, and ran deeper into the forest, leaving the other three behind.

"Actually, that would be me." Ritsuko confessed, giving him a slightly embarrassed grin. "That was actually how grandfather found me in the first place."

"Found ya?" Heiji blinked, quirking a brow. "So yer not his blood related granddaughter, then?"

"I'm not." Shaking her head, Ritsuko closed her eyes. "It seems that when I was first found, I didn't have any memories, and nobody could ever find my parents, so grandfather took me in himself. He's raised me by himself ever since then. That's why I'm so grateful to him."

Naturally, something that curious that perked Heiji's interest. Children generally didn't just appear out of nowhere. That said, he doubted it was related to the case at hand, interesting as it was. His thoughts quickly turned away from this curious story, however, as the faint sound of bells in the distance caught his ears. Instinctively looking for where the sound was coming from, he spotted the fox that he had thought had run away, lingering just at the edge of the forest.

It was also carrying something odd in it's mouth.

Noticing that Heiji was now looking at him, the fox strode over towards him, setting the object down in front of him, before he dashed away. Leaning down to pick it up, he held it carefully in his hands, observing the object- which turned out to be a silver watch. It looked somewhat expensive.

"Hey, did yer grandfather even mention losin' a watch?" Heiji asked, showing it to her.

"No." Ritsuko shook her head, looking up at it with a frown. "Did Ku-chan bring that to you? That's strange, she's not the type to steal from the villagers. I don't think she would have taken it from any of the other foxes' stashes either."

"Then how did it get here?" Heiji asked. It didn't appear as if it had been exposed to the elements for very long, he thought- maybe only around a month or so of weathering. Had there been someone else here, at this shrine that was supposed to be a secret? But when, and _why_?

The fading sound of bells in the distance offered no explanation.

* * *

Several days had passed since Heiji had entered the village. Piecing together a case that was this deeply rooted in the village wasn't exactly proving to be an easy task. Under the cover of a student who had come to help out with the local festival, he continued to investigate the mysterious matters surrounding the death of Yamagishi Ritsuko's grandfather, as well as the threatening letters sent to the both of them, and the strangled fox that was left on the top of the offering box. Sure enough, while Heiji was there, another threatening letter arrived- this one warning Ritsuko to cease her actions unless she wanted punishment to befall her.

After speaking with the few other people who helped out at the shrine on occasions- the resident handyman, and the cook who helped out during meetings, he'd come to the conclusion that none of them knew anything about the letters. Nobody had noticed anyone strange hanging around when the fox's body was discovered either.

He'd gotten a chance to speak to Ritsuko's fiancee- Inugami Takahiro- as well. He'd been deeply troubled over the notes, but it didn't appear like Ritsuko had told him about her grandfather's death being a possible murder yet. She probably didn't want him to worry more than he already was. He seemed like a good, honest man.

Speaking to the mayor's supporters wasn't easy, something Heiji wasn't very surprised by. Most of them just brushed him off, once they learned he was working at the shrine. He had been able to speak to the local police chief, at least, someone he had been regarding with suspicion. Ueda Hitoshi was his name- and while on the surface he seemed like an honest, straightforward man, there was something about him that Heiji just couldn't like. It was something about the way he spoke about Ritsuko, he thought- there was an awfully patronizing tone about it. 'A silly little girl' he'd called her, even though Ritsuko was well into her twenties, hardly a child.

There was one other person he had wanted to speak to- but he hadn't been able to track him down, constantly missing him. It was on the fourth day that Heiji was finally able to stop Wakahisa Taisuke outside of his clinic, flagging him down with a wide grin. The estranged second son of the mayor, who had taken his on his mother's maiden name as a sign of protest, he recalled.

"You're Wakahisa-han, right? I hear yer the village doctor." Heiji greeted him, lifting a hand.

"I am." Taisuke responded, briefly adjusting his glasses. He was a tall man with dark brown hair, who didn't really resemble his father. "You're one of this year's festival helpers, if I recall correctly. Can I help you? I hear that you've been trying to talk to me for a few days now."

"Ah, ya have, have ya?" Heiji rubbed the back of his neck. Word spread quickly in a village like this, he'd have to keep that in mind. "Fer a doctor, yer pretty hard to track down."

"Well, it's precisely because I'm a doctor." The man said simply, tucking his hands into his white doctor's coat. "So? What can I help you with? Yamagishi-san is the one who called you here, if I'm not mistaken. Don't tell me something has happened?"

More than a little surprised he knew that much, Heiji blinked. "What gives ya that impression? That Ritsuko-han was the one who called me here."

"Most of the villagers don't really pay attention to such things, but I know who you are." Taisuke noted simply. "Hattori Heiji. Known in some parts of Japan as the Detective of the West. You're awfully far from home, detective."

Narrowing his eyes, Heiji felt his body tense. "Can't a detective have other interests?" He asked, quirking a brow.

"I suppose." Closing his eyes, Taisuke heaved a sigh. "Well, I wouldn't be surprised if my father was doing something that called for investigating. And if it has anything to do with Yamagishi-san, I'm certain she wouldn't want to go to the police, not with Ueda in charge." Shrugging his shoulders, Taisuke gave him a half smile. "Well, I'm not your enemy, detective. I just want to stay out of the conflict. The less I deal with my father, the better."

"Then, why don't ya move away from here?" Heiji asked. "If ya went somewhere beyond his reach, wouldn't that be better?"

"I have my reasons." Taisuke replied.

"Hmm." Arching a brow, Heiji heaved a sigh. "Well, if that's the case, I don't suppose ya would mind tellin' me if yer old man's been up to anythin' suspicious lately? As a neutral party."

"When is he ever not?" Taisuke answered. "Well, if we're talking about things that are more suspicious than usual..." Frowning a little, he put a hand to his chin, mulling it over. "Lately I've heard a vague rumor from my older brother that he seems to be having some kind of secret meetings. He doesn't know with who though, or where."

"Since when?" Heiji asked.

"Let's see... maybe since around two weeks ago?" Taisuke frowned. "That sounds about right. "No, it would probably be going onto three weeks ago by now. Someone called him out in the middle of the night back then, my brother was worried about it."

"In the middle of the night?" Heiji frowned, his eyebrows knitting together. Three weeks ago- that matched up to the time when Ritsuko had called the reporter. Something about this stunk to him. "I see. Anythin' else?"

"No." Taisuke shook his head. "You should be careful though, Hattori-san. My father probably doesn't realize who you are, but if trouble is getting as bad with him as I think it is, you might want to consider exerting caution. He can be pretty ruthless- it's due to that that we ended up moving out here in the first place."

"I'll keep that in mind." Heiji nodded. "Thanks fer yer time, Wakahisa-han." Lifting a hand, Heiji quickly left the clinic, briefly glancing back once to notice that the doctor seemed to be watching him leave.

* * *

It was the sound of bells that woke him from his slumber that night.

It had been a dreamless sleep, for the most part, or so he thought. There was a vague memory of something white flashing through his mind, but he quickly put it out of his thoughts as he returned back to the world of the waking. Two of the other helpers had already arrived, and were currently sharing the room with him- but they didn't seem the least bit disturbed by the sound.

Frowning a little, Heiji got up, quickly changing into his clothes, deciding to investigate once and for all, where this bothersome, yet strangely pleasant, sound was coming from. Tucking on his cap, he carefully left the room. The night air bit at him with it's chill, and he shivered a little, wondering if he should have brought a proper jacket with him.

It was the faint sound of voices, not of bells, that caught his ears, however. Quickly realizing that they seemed to be men's voice, Heiji narrowed his eyes, trying to pinpoint where they were coming from. The back of the shrine?

Waiting a few seconds to allow his eyes to adjust to the darkness, Heiji carefully peered around the shrine. Nobody was in sight, so he quietly made his way towards the back, just catching the sight of two figures disappearing deeper into the forest. Vaguely, he recalled that the place they had disappeared was the entrance to the path that lead to the small shrine in the mountains, he narrowed his eyes. Recalling the mysterious watch that he now kept with him, he wondered if these guys had something to do with that.

Either way, it was suspicious. Squinting, he could make out the faint light of a flashlight in the distance, before they moved beyond what he could see, hidden by trees. Checking to make sure that there wasn't anyone else around, Heiji carefully headed towards the path himself.

No longer able to make out the light of their flashlight, Heiji fumbled around in his pockets, pulling out his cellphone from his jacket. Using it's light to illuminate the path in front of him, he carefully made his way down the path himself. They must have gotten a ways ahead of him, he thought, as he arrived at the treacherous part of the path before he knew it. Stopping just short of it, he briefly paused to consider the best course of action. His instincts told him to keep going- but the more rational part of his brain told him that it would be bad if he were caught here, on this section of the path. There would be nowhere to go, after all.

Perhaps it would be best to just wait right here and hide himself in the trees, for when the two people came back.

The chime of a bell broke up his thoughts once more, and dimly, Heiji realized that the sound was different- the sound of the bells that he'd kept hearing during his time in the village was pleasant, but this one was sharp and piercing, almost as if it was sounding an alarm.

The first thing he felt was the pressure, the sensation of something wrapping around his neck. It cut into his throat, the strong arms that held the rope in place giving it all that much more force. Dropping his cellphone light, Heiji tried and failed to let out a cry.

"I told you there was something suspicious about this kid. He's been asking questions lately." That was a voice Heiji didn't know, he dimly thought, even as he struggled for breath, grasping at the hands that held the rope. Although he heard the man wince as his nails dug into his skin, the pressure didn't let up. "That girl probably called him here. Ueda's been keeping an eye on him."

Ueda? So the police chief really did have something to do with this. But now wasn't the time to think about something like that.

Gasping for breath, Heiji moved to claw at the rope that was encircled around his neck, trying to get it off of him. Failing that, he found himself trying an tactic he could to free himself- shoving against the person who was currently in the process of strangling him. Forcing the man backwards, Heiji heard the faint sound of protest from him- and then a greater cry from the other man with him, one that, for a moment, Heiji couldn't understand.

Then he realized that there was no ground underneath him.

In the struggle, he'd apparently managed to force them both off the cliff. And although the big man's body blocked the force of the impact with the river below, it wasn't long before the cold, rushing waters pulled him under.

This wasn't good.

As the last bit of his consciousness was faded away, a single question rang out in his ears, alongside the distant sound of bells.

 _"Do you wish to live, child of man?"_


	2. The Shrine Where Foxes Gather

**AN** : The second chapter is here! The first chapter is a bit more like a lengthy prologue, so I guess you could say that the story starts in earnest here. Similar to _Blood and Snow_ , this is a story that will cover various story arcs- the Seishina arc is out very first arc, and I've got some other, interesting things planned for future arcs that hopefully everyone should enjoy.

To the two people who reviewed the fic, and to the people who added it to their favorites and followed it, thank you! Your support is what keeps me going. I hope you all have fun reading this chapter!

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter Two**

 **The Shrine Where the Foxes Gather**

* * *

"Explain to me again why we have to drive all the way out here." From behind the wheel of his rental car, Mouri Kogoro grumbled. He had plans for this week that hadn't involved driving out to some mountain village in the middle of nowhere.

"We've already been over this a number of times, dad." Ran peered at her father from the back seat, a cross expression on her face. "Kazuha-chan was the one who asked us to come out here. She says that Hattori-kun went missing while investigating something here earlier, and she wants you to help find him. She's worried sick, you know!"

"That kid's probably just run off somewhere." Kogoro grumbled. "High school detectives seem to have a tendency to do that."

"I don't think Hattori-kun would do something like that." Ran frowned. "Besides, what if something _has_ happened to him, dad? We can't just sit around and do nothing. Right, Conan-kun?" She asked, glancing over towards the boy sitting next to her.

"Yeah. Ran-neechan's right." Conan nodded his head, trying to keep exactly how worried he was from showing on his face- mostly for Ran's sake. When Kazuha had first called Ran in a panic with the news that Heiji had disappeared while investigating a case, Conan had felt a knot tie up in his stomach, one that only got larger as time passed. Hattori Heiji, after all, was absolutely the type to have something bad to happen to him on a case because of his own recklessness, usually.

He couldn't help but fear the worst.

But for the moment, he'd try to stay calm. He wouldn't do any good if he panicked over this, he knew that much.

"Alright, Alright." Kogoro finally conceded, turning his full focus back on the road ahead of them.

This had all started with a panicked phone call from Kazuha two days ago, claiming that Heiji had gone missing while investigating something in a small village in Hokkaido by the name of Seishina. He'd been hired by the head priestess of the local shrine there, who went by the name of Yamagishi Ritsuko, although Kazuha didn't exactly know what the request was. She had told Ran that she was already headed that way herself, and asked if she could possibly ask her father to come and look into the matter himself.

"Well, we're here." Kogoro noted, pulling the car to a stop, moving it off the side of the road so that it wouldn't get in the way of any other passing cars. "This is the shrine that Osakan kid was supposed to be staying at, right?"

"Yeah." Ran nodded her head, unbuckling her seatbelt and sliding out of the car, Conan quickly following behind her. "Kazuha-chan should already be here, but..."

"Maybe she's waiting up at the shrine?" Conan piped up, already starting to ascend the steps himself. The faster he got up there and started asking questions, the faster he'd find Heiji, after all. Apparently it had already been four days since he disappeared, and that was already four days wasted. He couldn't start the investigation fast enough, in his opinion.

"Don't rush ahead like that, Conan-kun!" Ran chided him lightly, quickly following behind him. "What if you trip?"

"It's okay, Ran-neechan, I won't trip!" Conan reassured her, flashing her his best childlike smile. "But it sure is noisy up there. It sounds like someone is arguing, doesn't it?" He asked, straining his ears to hear better. They weren't close enough to catch what was being said yet, but whatever it was, it seemed pretty heated.

"You're right." Ran frowned, glancing back to make sure her father was following them. "Maybe something's happening?" Frowning, she quickened her pace, worried that maybe Kazuha had gotten herself involved in a conflict of some kind. She had said she was going to be waiting for them here, after all.

"I keep telling you, I don't have anything to do with it!" A woman's voice protested- and Ran let out a small sigh of relief when it wasn't Kazuha's. As she and Conan hurried up the steps of the shrine, they were quickly met with the sight of what appeared to be a pair of police officers and a middle aged man in business suit, in some kind of confrontation with a red haired woman in a shrine maiden's outfit, who had a young man with dark brown hair by her side. Standing next to that pair was none other than Toyama Kazuha, and a look of relief crossed her face as she spotted Ran coming up the stairs.

"Ran-chan, over here!" She waved a hand. "Hurry!"

The three men who were questioning the young woman paused at this unexpected interruption, narrowing their eyes as Ran and Conan made their way over towards them. Clearing his throat, the man in the business suit shot a look over towards the redhead. "And, who are these two? I thought your helpers for this years festival had already all arrived, Ritsuko-chan."

"Well, that's..." The woman, who was Yamagishi Ritsuko as Conan had guessed, frowned a little, looking at a loss herself, glancing over towards Kazuha for guidance.

"She's my friend." Kazuha spoke up, putting her hands on her hips as she glared the trio of men down. "Mouri Ran, the daughter of the great detective Mouri Kogoro!"

At the mention of the old man's name, the color seemed to drain from the faces of the three men, Conan noted. Naturally, he found that curious, and filed that information away for later, choosing for the moment to scurry up besides the woman. "Are you Yamagishi Ritsuko, onee-san?" He spoke up.

"Yeah, that's me." She said, nodding her head. "I'm the head priestess of the shrine."

"Not for long, if I have anything to say about it." The man in the business suit said sharply. "Your grandfather would be ashamed of what you've done, Ritsuko-chan."

"Don't you bring up my grandfather!" Ritsuko shot back, clenching her fists. For all of her fire, Conan couldn't help but notice that she was trembling slightly, largely supported by the steady hands of the man who was by her side. "And like I keep saying over and over again, I don't have anything to do with it!"

"What's this?" Kogoro asked, finally making his way up the stairs, pausing for a moment to catch his breath. "I finally get up here, and all I here is bickering. What's going on, Ran?"

"Well, that's..." Ran trailed off, looking uncertain herself.

"Oh, good timing, Mouri-san!" Kazuha spoke up, grabbing his arm and all but pulling him over towards everyone else. "You need to help us out here! This sketchy uncle over here is accusing Yamagishi-san of killing a person!"

"I'm just saying that she _might_ have something to do with it, not that she killed the man herself." The man slightly retracted, holding up his hands. "After all, it was one of _my_ supporters that was found dead."

"Hold on." Holding up a hand, Kogoro glanced between the two parties, before turning toward Kazuha. "I can't do anything if I don't know anything. What exactly is going on here? I thought you called us out here to look for that childhood friend of yours."

"I did." Kazuha nodded her head, a worried expression creeping into her face. "But things got more difficult when I got here, thanks to this uncle who calls himself the mayor."

"I _am_ the mayor." Daichi said shortly. "But alright, Ritsuko-chan. I can see that you have guests today, so I'll let you off the hook for now. But you can be certain that I'm going to get to the bottom of this matter." He said, shooting her a dirty look, before he turned on his heel and left, leaving the two police officers to scramble after him.

"He seems like a rather unpleasant fellow." Kogoro observed, briefly watching the man leave before he finally turned towards Ritsuko and her companion. "Now then, I'm Mouri Kogoro. On behalf of Toyama Kazuha over there, I was called to look into the matter of her friend disappearing from here. I'm sorry to bring this up right after it looks like you just had to deal with some complicated matters, but do you think we could talk?"

"Of course." Ritsuko nodded her head, briefly glancing up towards the man by her side, giving him a small smile. "That wouldn't be a problem, Mouri-san. I'm worried about Hattori-kun as well."

"We can speak to you in the annex building, over there." The man finally spoke up, giving Ritsuko's shoulders a light squeeze before letting them go. "I'm Inugami Takahiro, I'm Ritsuko's fiancee."

"It's nice to meet you." Ran nodded her head. "I'm Mouri Ran, and this boy is Edogawa Conan. We're both friends of Hattori-kun as well."

"Thank you for coming all this way." Ritsuko said, giving them a small smile. "Now, please, this way." She said, leading them towards the annex.

"Are you getting ready for some kind of festival, onee-san?" Conan noted, glancing around. Festival stalls were in the middle of being built, and bits and pieces of preparation work could be seen scattered all around the shrine- and throughout their drive into the village, he'd noted.

"Yes." Ritsuko nodded her head, sliding open the door to the annex. A pair of foxes quickly made their way outside of it as she did so, hurrying off towards the forest behind the shrine. Conan couldn't help but take note at the slightly confused expression on Ritsuko's face as she watched them run off, before she stepped aside, inviting the group inside. "It's our yearly festival, in honor of Grandmother Fox and the foxes who live on the Mountain. You'll probably see a lot of foxes around here during your stay, especially here at the shrine."

"Please, take a seat." Ritsuko told them, taking a seat at the table herself, Takahiro taking the spot next to her. Conan made sure to slide in the spot immediately next to Kogoro, so that he could keep an eye on the old man while they spoke. "Where should I begin?"

"How about the case that you called Heiji-niichan out here to solve?" Conan offered, having been curious about it himself.

"Ah, yes." Nodding her head, Ritsuko reached for Takahiro's hand, carefully clasping it in her own. She certainly seemed troubled by the recent events herself, if her expression was anything to go by. "Then, I'll start from there. It's probably related anyways."

As Ritsuko explained the events that lead up to her contacting Heiji in the first place, Conan's eyes narrowed. There was something about her story that bothered him, though he didn't think she was lying, either. It sure sounded like this mayor wanted the area of Fox Mountain badly- if he wanted to build a ski resort, there were other mountains in the area that he'd be able to build them on, so why was he so dead set on this one? He didn't think he'd go through all of this trouble for something as simple as a grudge, or anything like that- it had to be something bigger.

"I see." Kogoro put a hand to his chin in thought after Ritsuko finished her explanation. "So you contacted that Osakan kid because you were worried the police might be involved in the matter. That is indeed troubling."

"When did you notice Heiji-niichan had vanished?" Conan asked.

"On the morning of his fifth day here." Ritsuko told him. "He didn't show up for breakfast, and the other two people staying in the room set aside for the festival helpers said that they hadn't seen him that morning. Naturally, I grew worried and went looking for him, but I couldn't find any trace of him. His things were left behind at the shrine, too."

Clenching the fabric of her hakama, Ritsuko bit her lip. "It's all my fault that this happened. I should have never called him out here in the first place. I don't know how to apologize to you enough, Toyama-san."

"It's not your fault, Yamagishi-san, don't blame yourself." Kazuha said quickly. "Besides, it's too early to act like something terrible has happened to Heiji. He's pretty resilient, after all."

Although she was obviously trying to put on a brave face, it didn't take a detective to see that Kazuha was extremely worried. Frowning, Conan turned back towards Ritsuko. "Hey, did anything strange happen after Heiji-niisan disappeared?"

"Strange?" Ritsuko blinked, before glancing over at Takahiro. "Well, I guess you could call what was found earlier this morning strange, but..."

"The body of one of the villagers washed up on the banks of the river that runs through the village. He apparently drowned." Takahiro told them, deciding to speak up for his fiancee. "He was a large, stocky fellow by the name of Watanabe Yuuichiro. He went missing around five nights ago, apparently. It seems like the mayor wants to paint Ritsuko as the culprit, even though she would never do something like that."

"Five nights ago?" Conan blinked. "Isn't that around the same time that Heiji-niichan disappeared?"

"Now that you mention it..." Ritsuko frowned, her eyebrows knitting together. "You don't think that Watanabe-san could have had anything to do with it, do you?"

"It's not impossible." Kogoro inclined his head. "Where would be the most likely place around here that one would fall into the river in the first place? Perhaps if we start from there, we might be able to dig up some clues."

"There's at least one that I can think of." Ritsuko said. "Part of the path that leads to Grandmother Fox's shrine in the mountains is located on a cliff face. If you're not careful, you might fall down into the river there. That was originally how we thought my grandfather had died."

"Can you show us to it?" Conan asked. "Maybe we can find something?"

"Sure." Nodding her head slowly, Ritsuko rose to her feet. "I'll guide you there right now, if that's alright with you."

"I'll come with you." Kazuha got to her feet. She didn't want to just sit around while she was here- as long as Heiji was missing somewhere out there, she wanted to do something about it herself. She might not be as great a detective as he was, but she wasn't about to let that stop her. "What about you, Ran-chan?"

"I'll come as well." Ran said, standing up as well. "I'm also worried about Hattori-kun. I know Conan-kun is too. Right?"

"Yeah." Conan nodded his head. "But why is there another shrine further into the mountains, Ritsuko-oneechan?"

"It's Grandmother Fox's shrine." Ritsuko told him, flashing him a small smile. "It's been our tradition at this shrine to make the trek out to it once a week to provide offerings and a prayer to her. She's this mountain's guardian deity, who keeps it safe from all those with foul intents. She's the grandmother of all the foxes on the mountain and watches over them. The festival is centered around her as well."

"Originally there were actually two small shrines dedicated to her, but unfortunately, the second one has been lost to history. We don't know where it is." Ritsuko said, shaking her head. "The one that remains is dedicated to the image of Grandmother Fox as the kind and caring grandmother, and the one that was lost to us was dedicated to the image of her as a young and playful trickster, who used her wit and magic to keep those with bad intentions away from the sacred mountain and her children."

"A guardian fox, huh?" Ran asked, smiling a little. "That's kind of nice." Compared to all of the other horrible legends she'd heard while tagging along with Heiji, this one was actually fairly charming. Why couldn't they all be like this?

"Ah, Takahiro, you can stay behind and watch the shrine, if you'd rather." Ritsuko said, pausing to look back at him as she slid open the door to the annex.

"Then, I'll do that. Be careful, Ritsuko." Takahiro told her.

"Why don't you want Takahiro-san to come with us?" Conan asked, glancing up at the redheaded priestess as they left the annex.

"He's been afraid of heights ever since he was little." Ritsuko told him with a small smile.

"Hold on a second." Kogoro began, lifting up a hand. "What's this about heights?"

* * *

It wasn't long before Kogoro had his answer. The mustached detective found himself frozen at the beginning of the cliffside path, unable to take another step forward. The sound of the rushing waters below him did not seem to help matters much, and at the thought of having to cross this path, the color quickly drained from his face.

"W-well, I'll stay back here to make sure that nobody sneaks up behind us." Kogoro said after a moment, fighting the urge to cast a wary eye down towards the gorge below. "Ran, Conan, the two of you are in charge of investigating around the shrine, you got that?"

"Geez, dad." Ran huffed, before heaving a sigh. "Alright. Conan-kun and I will keep a sharp eye out for anything that looks like a clue. Ah, but do you need to hold my hand, Conan-kun? It is a little scary, after all."

"No, I'll be fine, Ran-neechan." Conan said, shaking his head. "Don't worry about me."

"O-okay." Nodding her head, Ran took in and let out a deep breath, before she started down the path herself. Kazuha had already forged on ahead- if she was scared at all, it was obviously outweighed by her concern for Heiji. Ran felt like she could understand, though. If something like this had happened to Shinichi, she would probably be much the same.

"Why would they build such a dangerous path in the first place?" Ran wondered out loud. Up ahead, Ritsuko seemed to catch her question, though she didn't look back towards the girl.

"Actually, only the keeper of the shrine is supposed to come back here in the first place. The hazardous path is meant to keep intruders out." Ritsuko told her. "But given the circumstances, I don't think Grandmother Fox would be mad about this."

That struck Conan as somewhat curious as well. Was there some reason that such precautions had been taken to protect the shrines? It felt like there was a piece to all of this he just didn't know yet.

He might not have been afraid of heights like Kogoro was, but he still breathed easier once they were on more secure ground. Vaguely, he got the sensation of eyes on him as he continued down the path, but quickly came to realize that these were merely the curious eyes of the mountain's foxes, hardly anything for him to worry about.

Although, for some strange reason, at least one of the gazes felt vaguely familiar- and that did bother him somewhat. Turning in the direction he felt it from, he saw nothing, and the feeling quickly vanished as soon as it had come, leaving the not-child somewhat baffled. What was that?

"Oh." Ritsuko blinked, coming to a sudden stop. Kazuha very nearly collided into her, as she had been walking so closely behind her, but narrowly managed to avoid doing just that. "That's strange. I haven't seen you around here before."

"What? What is it?" Kazuha asked, peering over Ritsuko's shoulder. "Oh, a fox! How cute!"

Kneeling down in front of the fox, Ritsuko reached out a careful hand towards it. For all that four people were clustered around it, the fox didn't seem the least bit flustered by the attention it was getting, Conan curiously noted as he approached it as well. It was a brown fox, with two patches of darker brown fur just over it's eyes. There was a small patch of fur missing from behind it's left ear, and one on it's front right paw- there were scars there, Conan dimly noted. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Kazuha frowning a little, her expression for a moment, becoming unreadable.

"What do you mean you haven't seen him before, Ritsuko-neechan?" Conan asked. There was something about this fox that caught his attention, though he wasn't certain what it was. As he spoke, the fox seemed to turn it's attention towards him, blue eyes standing out against it's dark brown fur.

"I know all the foxes around here." Ritsuko replied. "I've been able to tell them apart since I was a little girl, in fact. And I'm pretty certain this is the first time I've seen this fellow here. Where did you come from, little one?" She asked, almost as if she half expected the fox to answer.

"If it's this used to humans, maybe it used to be someone's pet." Conan observed, before frowning. For a second there, it almost looked as if the fox in question had just rolled it's eyes at him.

"That's possible." Ritsuko said, getting to her feet. "Well, the shrine is just up ahead. You all can take a look if you like. My," She blinked, watching as the fox got to it's feet, walking over towards Conan and all but sitting itself next to him. "He likes you."

"Isn't that great, Conan-kun?" Ran asked. "I wonder if he would let me pet him. He's really cute."

"He might bite, Ran-neechan, I wouldn't recommend it." Conan advised her, casting a wary eye down towards the fox at his side. It seemed to shoot him a dirty look at the very suggestion of him biting Ran, and again, there was something in that that Conan found curiously familiar.

This was really starting to bother him.

"I don't think he'll bite." Kazuha said, kneeling down near the fox, almost seeming to pout over the fact that it had ignored her in favor of Conan. "Here, come here." She called out, reaching out a hand towards it. Carefully, she moved to scratch it behind it's right ear, something which the fox seemed to lean into- before suddenly shaking it off, lightly batting Kazuha's hand away with it's paw, a slightly grumpy look on his face.

"Geez, if you like it, there's no reason to get upset over it, _idiot_." Kazuha made a small face, reaching over to carefully scoop up the fox. It didn't put up much resistance to this, but rather seemed to settle itself down in her arms, making itself comfortable. It rather placidly let Kazuha carry it the rest of the way to the shrine, before leaping out of her arms, setting it self down in front of the shrine itself.

It was when it tried to make a sound that they all noticed something was wrong with it's throat. The raspy noise it produced seemed to surprise even the fox itself, and appeared to be an instant source of concern for Ritsuko.

"I don't like the sound of that..." Ritsuko noted with a frown. "Maybe we should bring this little one back with us, so Takahiro can take a look at him. The scars bother me as well, though those at least, look old."

The fox had apparently moved on to other concerns aside from it's throat, as it made it's way back over towards Conan again. Reaching out to lightly grab the hem of his sleeve, he gave it a small tug, trying to move the small boy towards the forest. Snatching his sleeve away from the fox, Conan grumbled a little. "Cut that out. My clothes aren't a toy."

It seemed to roll it's eyes again at that, walking over towards the edge of the forest and sitting itself down, his eyes burning holes into Conan's head.

"Maybe he wants you to follow him, Conan-kun?" Ran suggested. "He looks like he has something he wants to show you."

From the way that fox all but seemed to light up at Ran's suggestion, it seemed that she had hit it right on the mark. If Conan didn't miss his guess, it was almost like it could understand what they were saying.

"Why would I want to follow after a fox anywhere?" Conan frowned, which earned him yet another dirty look from the fox in question.

"Then, I'll go with him." Kazuha said, standing next to the fox. "He might have something important to show us."

"What could a fox have to show us that's important?" Conan asked dryly. He didn't like the idea of Kazuha following after a fox into some strange forest alone though- Heiji would have never forgiven him if she'd gotten lost like that. "But fine, I'll go with you as well, Kazuha-neechan."

"That's good." Nodding her head, Kazuha offered Conan her hand, which the not-child begrudgingly took. He could have sworn that he had caught a look of amusement in the fox's eyes as he did so. "Let's go, Conan-kun."

With the brown fox as their lead, the pair made their way through the forest, carefully stepping over rocks and tree roots alike that poked out from the forest floor. They hadn't been walking for long when the fox came to a stop, looking back towards the pair, making a motion with his head that what he wanted to show them was just around the corner.

Conan could have sworn underneath his breath when he saw it. He'd thought the fox had wanted to show him some kind of shiny object, or something like that- the last thing the shrunken detective had expected was a _corpse_.

Conan wasted no time in assessing the situation. Judging from the look of the body, it had been out here for at least a month, he thought. He wasn't very recognizable anymore, but he was pretty certain that the body was male. Judging from the somewhat faded looking jacket that he wore, it appeared as if he was associated with a newspaper.

The fox, which had briefly disappeared for a moment, returned to the scene, setting down what appeared to be a watch next to Conan's feet. With one of it's paws, it nudged at the wrist of the corpse, and although they were faded, Conan could still make out signs that something had been wrapped around it's wrist.

Briefly, Conan found himself locking eyes with the fox, that strange sense of familiarity rising up in him again as he stared into those blue eyes. Any thoughts on that were cut short, however, upon the arrival of Ran and Ritsuko, who were drawn to the scene by the sound of Kazuha's scream.

As soon as Ritsuko saw the jacket that the corpse still wore, her eyes went wide, and the color drained from her face. "That can't be..." Taking a step back, she felt the strength give out of her legs. "Morioka-san?"

* * *

Morioka Tsutomu was the name of the deceased, Conan found out later. It was also the name of the reporter that Ritsuko had attempted contacting before Heiji, when she was searching for someone to help her uncover the truth behind her grandfather's death, and the threatening notes she had been getting.

As much as they still had reservations about the local police, there was no choice but to call them in this situation, since a corpse had shown up. Before long, the site was crawling with police officers, who eventually managed to come up with a way to remove the corpse from the site. The mood had been tense as the police chief, Ueda, had appeared on the scene- and Conan couldn't help but notice that the brown fox who until that point had been rather docile, suddenly raised up it's fur, watching the officer with wariness. It wasn't until he left that he seemed to relax again.

As the sun was setting, the group finally made their way back towards the main shrine. Ritsuko excused herself for a moment, claiming that she needed to go lie down for a moment. Conan couldn't blame her- she hadn't reacted well to seeing the corpse at all. Someone she had called out here had turned up dead, after all.

It only made the knot of worry in Conan's stomach grow. He could only hope that Heiji wasn't sharing the fate of the murdered reporter, and that his body just hadn't been found yet. He wasn't willing to give up hope just yet, but it still gave him a sense of deep unease.

Ran and Kazuha had gone to find Takahiro, to get him to look over the peculiar brown fox that they had found at the shrine. It had followed them back the entire way, sticking to Kazuha's side this time for most of the walk back to the main shrine. Somewhat curious about the animal himself, Conan made his way towards the annex, where the girls had brought the fox to.

"How's the fox, Ran-neechan?" Conan asked as he entered the annex, noticing that Takahiro just seemed to be finishing his assessment. "Is something wrong with it's voice after all?"

"That's right." Ran nodded her head, a frown on her face. "Inugami-san says that it looks like he might have been strangled, from the look of the rope burns on his neck. It probably damaged it's vocal chords at the same time."

"Strangled?" Conan blinked. "You mean like the fox they found on the offering box?" For a moment, Conan's thoughts flickered back towards the odd way it had behaved towards the police chief, Ueda. Maybe he had something to do with it?

"Yeah, it's exactly like that." Takahiro nodded his head. "I looked over that fox as well. The rope marks under it's fur are the same. This fellow at least seemed to have escaped." He noted, reaching over to lightly pet the fox's head- but missed his chance as the fox all but stepped out of the way, leaving the man's hand hanging in empty air. Coughing to cover it up, a flustered Takahiro continued.

"The scars by it's left ear and right paw, as well as the one on it's stomach all appear to be at least a few months to a year old, though they bother me too. Especially the one on it's stomach." Takahiro frowned. If he didn't miss his guess, it resembled more of an old bullet wound than it did a normal scar. "If this guy really was a pet before this, he's probably had a rough life before coming here. It's amazing that he trusts humans at all, really."

"Well, he certainly seems clever." Ran observed, and for a moment, Conan could have sworn that the fox had shot him a smug look. "He lead Conan-kun and Kazuha-chan right to that body. It's just like one of those books about animal detectives, right?"

"You're right." Kazuha nodded her head, making a motion towards the fox, beckoning it to come over to her. Without delay, the fox got up, leaping off the table and curled up in Kazuha's lap. It let out a noiseless yawn, before nestling down in her lap. "He's a clever little fellow, this one. Maybe I should give him a name."

"What about Watson?" Conan volunteered- and no sooner than he had, the fox's ears perked back up again, shooting the pint-sized detective a dirty look. "Or maybe not."

"I was thinking about calling him Hei-chan. Cause you know," Kazuha said, pointing to the two darker patches of fur right above the fox's eyes. "Whenever I look at these, all I can think about are Heiji's eyebrows."

"Oh, you're right." Ran blinked, smiling in spite of herself. "And about Hattori-kun, you shouldn't worry too much yet, Kazuha-chan." Ran said quickly, the mention of the Osakan detective causing her to recall exactly why they were there in the first place- though it wasn't exactly as if she had forgotten to begin with. "I'm sure that he'll turn up just fine. Maybe he's just hiding somewhere?"

"Hopefully that's the case." Kazuha said, lightly petting the fox's head. For some reason, it appeared as if she wasn't as worried as she had been before, which frankly, was something Conan didn't quite understand. If anything, she should be more worried now that a body had shown up. And if that man whose body had been found washed up on the banks of the river even earlier really did have something to do with Heiji's disappearance, then it was highly possible that Heiji had also fallen into the aforementioned river.

And while he'd survived being shot, being shoved into the ocean, falling off a cliff, and being imprisoned, there were only so many times that the oftentimes reckless detective of the west could escape death before it finally caught up with him. That was the one thing that always had Conan worrying about him- and why he'd started involving him in investigating the Black Organization less and less over time. The last thing he wanted was to be the one responsible for Hattori Heiji's untimely death.

 _Idiot_. _Ya don't have to worry about things like that._

Blinking rapidly, Conan glanced around the room. For a second there, he could have sworn that he'd heard Heiji's voice.

"Hey, did you two hear anything?" Conan asked, glancing between Ran and Kazuha. The two girls exchanged a look, before shaking their heads.

Had it just been his imagination?

* * *

As the morning sun hung brightly overhead the village of Seishina, the tense air of the small village hit Conan full force. This would mark the first time he had entered the village proper since he'd arrived here, and now that he had, it was obvious how deep the tensions ran. The current situation had probably only exasperated things, with two bodies having shown up, in addition to someone being missing.

Heiji's disappearance, he noted, was already generating rumors. Somehow Conan wasn't the least bit surprised to hear the villagers whisper about him being 'taken away by the foxes' underneath their breath when they thought no one else was listening. He guessed that it was the local version of being spirited away.

That was what brought him down into the village that morning, as it were. Alongside Ran and Kazuha, the three of them were going to board a small boat that would traverse the length of the river, searching for any signs of the missing high school detective. Frankly, Conan almost hoped that they wouldn't find them. He didn't want to think about his friend having fallen into the rapidly rushing waters of the river.

Kogoro was working on his own, asking questions of the locals. Honestly, Conan was a bit worried about leaving him on his own, wondering what he would do when he wasn't around, but he was frankly more worried about Heiji at this exact moment. He could fix any mistakes that uncle made later anyways, which made Heiji's situation all the more pressing to him.

"Watch your step, boy." The man who had agreed to take the three down the river told him, his voice breaking him out of his thoughts. The not-child had grumbled as Ran put on his life jacket for him- he could have done it himself, thank you very much.

"Thank you for agreeing to take us, Yamahara-san." Ran told him, taking a seat on the small motorboat. "I hope we're not imposing."

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it." The man, Yamahara Naoki, flashed Ran a broad grin. He was young, in his early twenties, and was the grandson of the village elder, if Conan recalled correctly. It seemed that he did a lot of the legwork for the village elder these days, as his health was starting to decline. "You're Ritsuko's guests, so you're important guests of the village. Besides, you've got one of those good omens following you around."

It took a second for Conan to understand what Naoki meant, before the man indicated with his hand exactly what he was referring to. "See? This guy's even followed you all the way onto the boat. That's pretty unusual, for a fox!"

Sure enough, the brown fox that Kazuha had taken to calling Hei-chan had indeed, joined them on the ship. Conan hadn't even noticed the animal following them in the first place, and could only watch in slight bafflement as it leapt up onto the seat in between Ran and Kazuha, plopping down in the middle of the two girls.

"Come on now, that's Conan-kun's seat." Ran lightly scolded the fox, carefully lifting it up and placing it on Kazuha's lap. "You should sit here, Hei-chan." She said, before patting the now empty seat. "Conan-kun, it's free for you now!"

"R-right, Ran-neechan!" Nodding his head, Conan quickly slid into the seat, glancing up towards Kazuha as he did so. There was a faint trace of red to her cheeks as the fox settled in her lap- at least until it spread itself out further, simultaneously occupying both Kazuha and Conan's laps.

"Then are we ready to set off?" Naoki asked, glancing back towards the trio and their canine companion. Getting confirmation from Ran, Naoki flashed them all a broad grin, before he started up the boat, turning it around so that they could head upriver. In in the safety of the boat, the river's waters still felt choppy, and suddenly Conan was very glad for his life jacket. If he fell in, there was no doubt that in his current state he'd be swept away to who knows where.

"Let me know if you see something, and want me to stop the boat. I can bring you in pretty close to the banks of the river, if you need me to." Naoki told them, briefly glancing back towards the group. "Hopefully your friend is alright. Ritsuko's been awfully distressed about this whole thing. It's rough to see, honestly."

"Heiji's pretty hardy." Kazuha noted. "He's probably still out there somewhere. I don't think he would die that easily. I'd never forgive him if he did, after all."

"How long has your family held the role of village elder, Yamahara-san?" Conan piped up.

"Let's see... I don't think we've been around for as long as Ritsuko's family, but it's been quite awhile." Naoki said, considering the question. "Maybe over two hundred years."

"That's a long time!" Ran exclaimed. "I don't think we can trace our family back a hundred years, let alone two hundred."

"Well, it's easier in a small village like this." Naoki told her. "But the Yamagishi family has been around for even longer than this. They've been in charge of the shrine for the whole time as well. Although recently there are some people who want to see Ritsuko replaced as the head of the shrine. They say because she was adopted in the first place, that it should be the villagers who get a choice in who runs it from now on. Well," He shrugged his shoulders, facing the front again to focus on driving the boat. "I think Ritsuko's more than qualified. It should be the foxes who decide that sort of thing, not us."

"She's adopted?" Conan asked, blinking.

"Yeah. Her grandfather found her, actually." Naoki said. "We don't really know where she came from before that. Just found her wandering around lost in the forest, with no memories. I don't think Ritsuko likes to think about it much though. It's kind of scary when you consider the possibilities."

"That's true." Ran frowned. "She must have really loved her grandfather, then."

"Yeah, she really did." Nodding his head, Naoki's expression grew more somber. "All of us did, really. He was a great man."

Filing away this information for later, Conan found his gaze turning upwards. Just above them, he noticed, seemed to be the treacherous cliffside part of the path that lead to Grandmother Fox's shine. It was hard to make out from this distance, but he didn't think he was mistaken. It certainly was a long way down though, even more so than it looked like from up there.

As the knot of worry in his stomach tightened, the fox glanced up, it's ears perking up as it sat upright. It placed a paw over Conan's hand, giving it a few pats. Frowning, the not-child looked over towards it- was it trying to comfort him?

"Don't worry, Conan-kun." Ran said lightly, placing a hand on his shoulder, as if sensing his nervousness. "I'm sure Hattori-kun is just fine. For all we know, he might just pop up out of nowhere again like he always does."

"You're probably right, Ran-neechan." Conan said, giving her a small smile. For once he'd actually appreciate if Heiji pulled that oftentimes annoying sudden appearance act of his. He'd give him a swift kick to the shins for making him worry so much, the not-child thought.

As he thought that, a flash of brown suddenly entered his vision, before vanishing as soon as it had come. It wasn't until he heard Ran call out after the fox and hurriedly asked Naoki to stop the boat that he understood what had just happened. In the blink of an eye, the brown fox had dashed across the boat, leaping out from it and onto the banks of the river beside it- quite the impressive jump. It was currently sitting on a rock, gazing at the passengers of the boat, as if waiting for them to come back.

Carefully pulling the boat around so that he could pull it up to the bank of the river, Naoki carefully tied it up to one of the large rocks on the river bed, securing the boat in place. Conan hurriedly made his way off the boat, his feet sinking into the muddy riverbed. The fox had already lead them to a corpse before, so he was more keen in finding out what it was that the peculiar animal wanted to show them this time.

Jumping down from the rock, the fox carefully made it's way further inwards. There was a small cave in front of them, Conan noticed, as he carefully ducked his head down, crawling into it. Suddenly grateful for his diminutive size, he quickly turned on his flashlight wristwatch, shining it in front of him.

For a moment, the brown fox disappeared from his sight, before it quickly returned, carrying something in it's mouth. It only took an instant for Conan to recognize what it was, even when it was covered in mud- after all, he saw it so many times before.

Dropping the object in front of Conan, the fox sat down in front of him, seeming to flash an all too familiar grin at the not-child. Carefully, Conan picked it up, trying to knock some of the mud off of it. As the logo of the cap in his hands was revealed as the mud was wiped away, it only confirmed Conan's gut instinct.

There was no mistake.

It was Heiji's cap.


	3. Kamikakushi

AN: I will fully admit to grinning like a fool while I was writing the tail end of this chapter. It was a fun part to write, so I hope it's an equally fun part to read! At any rate, the third chapter is here! Please don't forget to leave a review if you can, I'd really appreciate it!

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter Three**

 **Kamikakushi**

* * *

"Conan-kun, did you find anything?" Ran and Kazuha made their way carefully off of the boat, following behind the child and the fox, leaving Naoki behind to watch it. As their feet sank slightly into the mud of the river bank, they followed the small footprints that Conan had left behind. "Conan-kun!"

"I'm here, Ran-neechan!" Conan called out, carefully wriggling his way out of the small cave. There was no way that Heiji could have fit inside of here, he thought. It was possible that his cap had been blown in here by the wind. "Look," he said once he was out, holding up the cap. "I found Heiji-niichan's cap."

"It really is." Ran's voice nearly caught in her throat, almost feeling her heart sink. "What is it doing here?"

"Maybe Heiji was here?" Kazuha ventured, kneeling down in front of Conan and carefully taking the cap from him, attempting to knock more mud off of it. "Where did you find it, Conan-kun?"

"I didn't find it by myself." Conan shook his head, glancing over towards the fox, who was now making it's way out of the cave. "This fellow found it for me. It was inside of that small cave."

"There's no way Hattori-kun would have been able to fit in there." Ran observed, checking it out herself. As if to test it out, she attempted to worm her way through the opening- but quickly pulled back once she realized that forcing it would just wind up with her being stuck. "How did it get in there, then?"

"Maybe the wind blew it inside?" Conan offered. "Or there's a bigger opening somewhere else."

"I'm sure it doesn't mean anything bad has happened to Hattori-kun, Kazuha-chan." Ran was quick to say, getting back to her feet again, trying in vain to wipe some of the mud off of her pants. They were all going to need a good bath after this. "He's probably still alright."

"Yeah, I know." Nodding her head, Kazuha held the cap close to herself, ignoring the way the mud stained her blouse. "I'll go ask Yamahara-san if he knows anything about this cave. Conan-kun, do you think you could check it out more for us?"

"Yeah." He was planning on doing that anyways, even if nobody asked him to. Casting an eye towards the fox, who had been watching him this whole time, Conan couldn't help but frown. A dead body was one thing, but how did this fox know to show this to him? And that expression on it's face just earlier...

No, no. Shaking his head, he instantly put the thought he was heading towards out of his mind. There was no way something that absurd could be possible.

He missed the way the fox rolled his eyes at him again, grumbling lowly to itself as it stalked back towards the cave ahead of him.

"Be careful, Conan-kun. If it looks dangerous, come right back." Ran advised him, kneeling down by the mouth of the cave.

"I will, Ran-neechan." Flashing his best childlike smile at her, Conan quickly crawled back into the cave's opening again, letting the shine of his wristwatch flashlight guide the way. He could see the fox just ahead of him, waiting for him with a slightly impatient looking swish of it's tail.

"There's no reason to get angry at me. I can't move as easily in here as you can." Conan found himself saying. The fox seemed to accept this explanation, and carefully made it's way ahead of the boy, stopping periodically to check to see if he was still following behind him.

Blessedly, the cave seemed to expand as they continued inside, and eventually Conan was able to safely stand up inside of it. The mud from the riverbank gave way to hard rock, making it less slippery going as well. Shining his wristwatch flashlight above him, he noticed that the ceiling of the cave had indeed gotten a lot higher- maybe there really was a bigger entrance into it somewhere around here.

"How is it, Conan-kun?" He could hear Ran's voice call from outside of the cave, reverberating around on the inside of it.

"It's gotten bigger!" He called back. "I'll check it out some more, there might be something here!"

He wasn't exactly certain what he expected to find. If Heiji's hat really was here, then was it possible Heiji himself was somewhere in this cave after all? It had been at least five or six days now since he had disappeared- if he'd been stuck here without food or water the entire time, things weren't looking that good.

Shining the wristwatch flashlight on the floor, Conan carefully made his way through the cave, following after the fox's guidance. It certainly seemed to be trying to lead him somewhere, at least, and the not-child could only hope that that somewhere wasn't besides Heiji's corpse.

"Huh?" Conan blinked, lowering his wristwatch slightly, realizing that there seemed to be another light source coming from somewhere deep inside the cave. A faint sound also drifted into his ears, although he couldn't quite tell what it was at the moment. Frowning, he carefully made his way towards the light source. He could make out the silhouette of something illuminated by it in the distance, but like the sound, it was too difficult to tell what it was at the moment.

The sound he identified first- it was the sound of bells. Using his wristwatch to illuminate the walls of the cave, he noticed that there seemed to be tiny bells fixed onto the ends of ribbons, their color faded over the years. The ribbons themselves seemed to be nailed onto the walls.

There was also the sound of footsteps- not human ones, he quickly noted, but rather, the sound of claws clacking against the stone floor of the cave. It was the same sound that the fox ahead of him made as it walked, but Conan knew that it was most likely there were other foxes lingering about in the cave. None of them seemed very interested in paying him any mind, at least.

He had a sneaking suspicion now as to what the object ahead of him might be.

As the light source illuminated the cave ahead of him, Conan switched off his wristwatch flashlight, allowing himself to be guided by the light of what turned out to be candles. That in and itself he found curious- if there were candles around here, there had to be someone who came here to both light and replace them. But who could it be? And where, exactly, did they come from in the first place?

After all, the cave seemed to be coming to a dead end here, and there was no other entrance in sight. It would have to be someone awfully small to worm their way through the same entrance he'd come through.

But, he supposed, looking at the shrine in front of him- at least he'd managed to solve the mystery of the missing second shrine. And considering the location of the cave, he had a sneaking suspicion that perhaps he was directly underneath the first shrine to Grandmother Fox. Briefly glancing at the curious brown fox that had perched itself on a rock next to the shrine, Conan made his way towards it.

The shrine itself appeared to be well cared for, if not more worn than the one above ground. He couldn't help but wonder about the logic of placing it here in the first place- but perhaps the land had merely shifted over generations, resulting in it's current location. It would also explain why nobody seemed to be able to find it.

Conan decided to take this chance to study the shrine in detail. While the one aboveground had a stone carving of a fox, the carving placed on this shrine appeared to be that of a young woman, with fox-like features. Curious to see if there were any more signs of Heiji lying around here, he decided to begin investigating.

What caught his eye first wasn't any kind of trace of his missing friend, but rather an peculiar stone. Unlike the others that surrounded the shrine, that appeared to be natural formations of the cave, this one appeared to be perfectly round- as if it had been made that way by human hands. Curious, he carefully rolled it aside- only to flinch as he began to hear some kind of grinding sound, something he quickly recognized as some kind of hidden mechanisms beginning to work.

The fox neatly leapt off of it's rock, coming to sit next to Conan, as they both watched as a hole opened up in the wall in front of them. Conan felt his breath catch in his throat as began to process the sight before him, another mystery finally clicking into place.

Not only was there a hidden room in these walls, but it was a hidden room that was filled with riches. Gold pieces, glimmering emeralds, and brilliant rubies of various sizes all filled Conan's vision, and he quickly realized just why the mayor and his cohorts were probably so eager to make Fox Mountain their own.

They were probably searching for this.

Glancing down towards the fox by his side, the animal returned his gaze, seeming to motion with his head towards the treasure. Carefully reaching out a hand, Conan plucked out a single gold piece, before rolling the stone back into place, causing the secret entrance to close once more.

The gold piece he would show to Ritsuko later, and no one else, he thought, tucking it back into jacket. If word of this got out, all hell would probably break loose. If there was anyone who knew something about this, it would be the priestess herself.

"Is this what you wanted to show me?" Conan found himself asking the fox, watching as it again flashed a grin that was too familiar for the pint sized detective's comfort. Narrowing his eyes, he carefully assessed the animal in front of him, for the briefest of moments allowing himself to consider that impossible theory of his- before he shook his head, putting it out of his thoughts again.

Sure, he'd been shrunk down to the size of a grade school student. But there was no way- _absolutely no way_ \- that a human being could turn into a _fox_.

The brown fox by his side could only make the most exasperated expression it's canine features allowed it.

* * *

"Dad, good timing!" Ran greeted Kogoro as he came through the entrance to the shrine keeper's house. "I was just about to call you to come back."

"Is something wrong, Ran?" Kogoro observed, taking note of the fact that his daughter had apparently donned a hakama. "What's with the outfit? I thought you were going with that brat and that Osakan brat's friend to look for him."

"I was. My clothes got all muddy though, so I bored this from Ritsuko-san." Ran told him, lifting up an edge of the fabric. She'd loaned another spare hakama to Kazuha, and had spent awhile digging through her wardrobe before she found a large sleeping shirt to lend to Conan while his clothes were washed- his were the muddiest of anyone's. Somehow or another Kazuha had been able to give the fox a bath, something which it had been strangely meek throughout. "Everyone's gathering in the living room. Conan-kun said he has something he wants to tell everyone."

"Did he find that Osakan kid?" Kogoro asked, leaving his shoes at the entrance, before heading into the house proper.

"No." Ran said, shaking her head. "Although we did find a trace of him at least. But I can't really say if it's good news or bad news."

"That's rather vague." Kogoro noted, following his daughter into the living room. Already gathered there were Conan, Kazuha, Ritsuko, and Takahiro, and the two latecomers quickly took whatever seat was available to them. "So? Ran here says you found something, Conan."

"I did." Conan nodded his head. "First things first, we found Heiji-niichan's cap." He told him, looking over towards the hat in question. Kazuha had cleaned it of any mud, and had placed it on the table. After his bath, the fox had all but retreated underneath the cap, only it's head poking out from underneath it. It appeared to be sleeping, not paying any mind to those gathered around the table, at least for the moment.

"But not it's owner, I take it." Kogoro observed. He sort of understood what Ran had meant earlier- it was hard to tell if finding his cap on it's own was good news or bad news indeed.

"And also, I think I figured out the real reason why that mayor is so interested in Fox Mountain in the first place." Conan said, before placing the gold piece that he'd found on top of the table. "Ritsuko-neechan, do you know anything about this?"

"This is!" Ritsuko's eyes lit up, picking it up from the table and showing it to Takahiro. "Where did you find something like this, Conan-kun? Takahiro, you don't think this could be...?"

"Yeah." Nodding his head, Takahiro took the piece in his hands, studying it himself. "At least that's what I would think myself."

"Oi, is that really gold?" Kogoro asked. Takahiro passed it over towards the man, who turned it over in his hands, before turning towards Conan. "Where exactly did you manage to dig up something like this, Conan?"

"Like I said, on Fox Mountain." Conan told them. "At the very back of the cave where we found Heiji-niichan's cap, there was a small shrine."

"Then does that mean you found the second shrine, Conan-kun?" Ritsuko asked, an expression of wonder gracing her features- even more so than when she'd been shown the gold piece. "That's amazing, Conan-kun!"

"Yeah, I did." Conan nodded his head, finally taking the gold piece back from Kogoro and placing it on the table. "So, can you two tell me? You both seem to have an idea about what this gold piece is."

"I thought it was just a legend." Ritsuko confessed after a moment, still looking a little bewildered. "It was long rumored that at one of Grandmother Fox's shrines was a large stockpile of her treasure that she'd accumulated over the many years of her life. According to the legend, when something bad happened in the village, she'd send out a fox with a piece of the treasure to help the villagers. But I didn't think it would actually be real..."

"It's really real." Conan nodded his head. "Or at the very least, the fact that there's a huge treasure hidden by one of the shrines is true. There was a lot more besides just this."

"I see." Takahiro's eyes narrowed, his brow furrowing in thought. "With that kind of money, the mayor and his supporters could probably do anything they wanted."

"So they wanted to obtain ownership of Fox Mountain so they could search for it without any hindrances." Kogoro finished, folding his arms in front of his chest. "Using the story of wanting to open a ski resort on it as a cover up. It's certainly true that a big treasure would probably make people more willing to do horrible things."

"Hey, do you think maybe Hattori-kun found out about this?" Ran asked, glancing over towards her father. "And that Morioka-san, whose body we found in the mountains, him too."

"It's possible." Kogoro nodded his head. "Especially in the case of Morioka-san- if he found about either the treasure or the fact that the mayor was searching for it, they might have killed him to keep him quiet. They probably left the body where it was because they originally thought nobody would find it. Where did you find this, Conan-kun?"

"In a cave." Conan told him. "But I don't think anyone who wasn't around my size could get inside of it in the first place."

"It's true." Ran nodded her head. "I tried to go in through the entrance myself, but I couldn't."

"But if they're willing to kill someone to cover up the fact that they're searching for it, doesn't it sound like they're pretty sure it exists?" Kazuha asked, glancing over towards Ritsuko. "Do you have any idea why, Ritsuko-san?"

"No." Ritsuko shook her head. "Even I thought it was just a legend, after all. I'm not sure why they'd be so convinced."

"Takahiro-niisan seems to know something!" Conan piped up, quickly gauging the expression on the man's face. "Don't you?"

"Eh?" Takahiro blinked, before finally heaving a sigh. "Yeah. I do at least have some idea." Turning to Ritsuko, he placed a hand over her own. "You probably don't remember yourself, Ritsuko, but when you were found in the forest, you were apparently carrying a sizeable emerald on you."

"Eh? I was?" Ritsuko blinked, visibly shocked by this information. "I don't remember that at all! Why didn't grandfather tell me?"

"He didn't want you to think he'd taken you in just because of that." Takahiro told her.

"What happened to that emerald?" Kogoro asked. He wasn't surprised to hear about the fact that Ritsuko had been adopted- he'd gathered that much while speaking with people in the village.

"It's long gone." Takahiro told him. "He sold it in order to afford raising Ritsuko in the first place."

"Now that you mention it, I did always wonder how he managed to send me to such an expensive school for high school. He paid for the apartment I lived when I was there too." Ritsuko frowned. "He always told me that he had a secret savings stash when I asked about it... I didn't know it was from something like that."

"Do you remember where you might have gotten it from in the first place, Ritsuko-oneechan?" Conan asked. He couldn't help but find it more than a little curious that she would have such a thing. Granted, as a child she would have been the perfect size to fit through the mouth of the cave, but it would have been hard to reach without a boat.

"No." Ritsuko shook her head. "I don't remember anything from before grandfather found me. No matter how hard I tried, I never could recall anything. Sorry, Conan-kun."

"It's likely that the mayor heard about this from someone, and decided that this meant the treasure was real." Kogoro said after a moment. "That's probably when he started sending threatening letters to your grandfather- or at least, someone who works with him did. He probably suspected the old man knew where the treasure was hidden himself."

If that was the case, it's possible that Ritsuko's grandfather was cornered by his killer, and was pressured for information. When they figured out he didn't know anything, that was probably was when they killed him, Conan thought to himself. Now things were beginning to add up- at least in terms of motive. It was too early to say how directly involved the mayor was in all of this business, though, but Conan had a suspicion that he knew something, at least.

"Oh, that's right, dad. Did you find out anything about Hattori-kun when you were out?" Ran asked, her gaze briefly lingering on the boy's cap before she turned back to her father. The fox's ears seemed to perk up at the change of topic, and it let out a silent yawn, peering over towards Kogoro as well.

"No." Kogoro shook his head. "I asked around quite a bit to see if anyone had seen any traces of him since the night he disappeared, but it didn't appear that anyone had. Well, there were plenty of silly stories though."

"Silly stories?" Ran asked, blinking. "Like what?"

"Something about him being taken away by foxes, or whatever." Kogoro said, scoffing at the mere idea of it. "Probably some kind of version of being spirited away, more than likely. I doubt it."

"Taken away by the foxes, huh..." Kazuha mumbled to herself, flushing a little when all eyes fell on her- she probably hadn't meant to say that out loud. "E-exactly what does that entail, Ritsuko-san?"

"It's true that we do have legends like that, but our stories don't really work like that." Ritsuko told them, shaking her head. "All of our village's legends about being taken away by foxes involve innocent people being saved from bad situations by Grandmother Fox. There's also cases of her giving those breathing their dying breaths the chance to live again. In every case, the person taken away by foxes usually becomes a fox themselves. But the fox legends here don't involve any stories about the foxes taking away anyone just because."

It was the way Kazuha's gaze flickered briefly over towards the brown fox at those words that caught Conan's attention the most. He couldn't help but let his gaze shift towards it himself, realizing with a slight start that the fox was staring at him again.

No, no, no. There was no way. There was _definitely_ no way. No matter how Heiji-like the fox could seem at times, there was no way the fox was somehow actually Hattori Heiji. No, no, no.

The fox almost seemed to grumble, working it's way out from underneath the cap, walking across the table to sit in front of Kazuha. With a slight smile, she reached over to lightly pet it's head, before frowning, looking up and glancing over towards Conan. Realizing that the young boy had caught her looking, she quickly looked away from him again, focusing once more on the fox in front of her.

What was that about?

* * *

At the end of the day, they had little more than speculation to go off of- nothing that they could actually accuse the mayor or any of his men of. If they played their cards wrong, even, it was possible that they might learn that the legendary treasure apparently wasn't a legend after all, and that wouldn't be good.

The top priority at the moment was to gather more information, and to find evidence.

And, of course, to find the still missing Hattori Heiji.

With his clothes having finally dried off, Conan tugged them on, feeling a little more comfortable to not just be wearing an oversized shirt. Ran had already come to take her clothes off the line, but he couldn't help but notice that Kazuha's were still hanging there, in spite of being rather dry as well. Recalling that she had gone out for a walk, he figured she probably didn't know yet, and decided he'd go find her and tell her.

Speaking of the Osakan girl though, Conan couldn't help but notice that her worries about Heiji's disappearance had all but vanished. Naturally, that struck him as strange- had she perhaps come in contact with him somewhere while in the village, and just hadn't told anyone yet? It was possible that Heiji was hiding somewhere around here, after all, but why he'd ask Kazuha to keep this a total secret was something he couldn't understand.

Maybe the best plan would just be to ask her about it directly.

Tucking on his shoes and leaving the house, Conan glanced around, wondering what direction Kazuha had gone in. It would probably be better if he didn't stray too far into the forest, he thought- he didn't want to risk getting lost.

"All I'm saying is, if you want him to know, you should just tell him yourself."

Wasn't that Kazuha's voice? Conan perked up at the sound of it, trying to figure out where exactly it was coming from. Creeping silently in that direction, he peered around a corner of the house, to find Kazuha sitting on the porch. For a moment he suspected she was on her cellphone, but he didn't see any trace of it in either of her hands.

Then, who was she talking to? The only other thing around was the brown fox that was sitting in her lap.

"What do you _mean_ , you want him to find out about it on his own?" Kazuha arched a brow, moving to scratch below the fox's chin. It shook off her affections, shooting her a dirty look. "If you do something like that, idiot, he's never going to figure it out. He's just a kid, and besides, he doesn't believe in stuff like this in the first place."

What was she talking about? Conan frowned, growing more curious by the second. Was she talking to the fox? No, no, it sounded like she was having a proper conversation with someone. The thought that she was having a proper conversation with the fox was something that stubbornly rushed to come into his mind.

"You're so stubborn about the weirdest things." Kazuha said with a sigh. "But alright. I won't say anything if you don't want me to. But it'll be a problem if-" She blinked, frowning a little as she suddenly cut her own words short. "What do you mean, someone's listening?"

Scooping up the fox in her arms, Kazuha got up, peering around the other side of the porch. "Geez, what are you talking about, Heiji? Nobody's even here. Are you sure those big ears of yours are really any good, idiot?"

* * *

"Oh, Conan-kun. Is something wrong?" Ran frowned, taking notice of her young ward just inside the entryway of the house. "Your face is pale."

"N-no, it's nothing, Ran-neechan." Conan shook his head, letting out a deep breath. The moment he'd gotten even a hint of the fact that Kazuha suspected someone else was there, he'd made the fastest dash in his life for the door, and had barely made it in time to avoid being caught spying.

In retrospect, he wasn't entirely certain why he'd run away from Kazuha, of all people. At worst she probably would have chided him lightly for eavesdropping- but given the strangeness of her conversation with seemingly nobody, he had ended up acting purely out of instinct.

What had that been about? Clearly Kazuha had been speaking with someone, but nobody had been around, and she wasn't on her cellphone either. That only left...

The fox.

No. No, no, no, _**no**_.

There was no way. _Definitely_ no way. A human being turning into a fox? It wasn't possible, scientifically speaking. If something like that were to happen, it would have to be the work of magic, and there was no such thing as real magic. What was he even considering?

There was just no way!

But then again, the legend about the hidden treasure had turned out to be true. No, no. That could still be explained logically. This? This couldn't.

Still, if he were to accept the possibility that such magic might actually exist, then things did start to make some sense. The way that fox reminded him of Heiji, the way Kazuha had ceased to be worried about her childhood friend from the moment she'd met the fox, the fact that Heiji's scars and the fox's scars matched up...

"Oh, it's Conan-kun!" Kazuha said, opening up the front door, peering down at him. The fox was walking by her side, his ears perking up as he looked over Conan's way. "Ah, you're back to your own clothes now- does that mean they're dry?"

"Y-yes, Kazuha-neechan." Conan stammered slightly, slowly nodding his head.

"Oh, that's great! I'll go get changed, then!" Kazuha said, quickly taking off her shoes and hurrying towards where her clothes had been left to dry. As she hurried off, Conan found himself locking eyes with the fox that had been left behind, finding the animal once again staring rather intensely at him.

"You. Are you..." He began, before quickly shutting his mouth, turning away from the fox. No. There _had_ to be a more logical explanation for everything. Holmes might have said that once you eliminated the impossible, whatever remained must have been the truth- but it honestly felt a lot more like he was eliminating the possible and keeping the impossible right now.

Once again, the fox let out a silent sigh, looking at the not-child with impatient eyes.

* * *

 _Oi, Kudo. Wake up already._

"Hattori?" Conan blinked awake, slowly drifting out of his slumber. For a moment, it took him a second to remember where he was, before it all quickly came back to him. Staring up at the ceiling of the room he was sharing with Kogoro, he groaned, trying to figure out what the weight pressing down on his chest was.

Oh, of course.

The brown fox was sitting on his chest, staring down at him, a familiar grin on it's face that was visible even in the darkness of the room. Groaning a little, Conan rested his head back down on the pillow, wondering if the fox would just go away if he ignored it.

Instead, the fox grumbled, giving the boy a good smack with one of it's paws. Realizing that it had no intention of leaving him alone to go back to sleep, Conan grumbled himself, pushing himself up into a sitting position. Neatly jumping off of his chest as he did so, the fox trotted over to where Conan had placed his glasses, and dropped them in his lap, his tail wagging slightly behind him- and an excited gleam in it's eyes that Conan already knew too well from someone else.

Now that the impossible idea had implanted itself in Conan's head, he was having a hard time denying the similarities between Heiji and the fox before him. Of course, it was possible he was only imagining them because of the _absurd_ idea that he had, but at the same time, that alone didn't explain everything.

"What do you want now?" Conan asked, keeping his voice to a low whisper so as to not wake Kogoro up. Groaning a little as the fox perked up and scurried over towards the door, pushing it further open with one paw, he realized that once again, the animal wanted Conan to follow him.

"Alright, alright. Just give me a second." Conan mumbled, fumbling to change his clothes in the dark, before grabbing his glasses and putting them on. Carefully, he followed the fox outside of the house, only pausing to put his shoes on. By the light of his wristwatch flashlight, he followed the fox down the shrine's steps.

This was, he thought, probably one of the more ridiculous things he'd done in his seventeen years of life. Following a strange fox (that might possibly somehow also be his best friend, as much as he didn't want to admit that) down an unfamiliar road in an unfamiliar village in the middle of the night? He was definitely never going to tell Ai about _this_ particular adventure, that was for sure.

"What are you trying to show me anyways?" Conan asked dryly, letting out a loud yawn. The fox glanced back at him, only giving him a grin and an excited swish of his tail in answer to his question, before it continued down the road. "Right then. Not sure why I expected an answer."

Still, he kept following the fox. It had lead him not only to a corpse, but a huge piece of the mystery. Putting aside whether or not it could possibly be Hattori Heiji, the animal hadn't lead him wrong yet.

He followed behind the fox in silence for what seemed to be several minutes, before it suddenly came to a stop, dashing into the nearby bushes. Taking this as his cue to be the same, Conan ducked into them as well, quickly switching off his wristwatch flashlight, and letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. Before long, he could hear the sound of voices coming up the road- two of which, he thought were rather familiar to him.

The mayor and the police chief, Conan thought, narrowing his eyes. His gaze briefly flickered to the fox, whose attention was now fully focused on the approaching people.

"Has no one found the boy's body yet?" He heard the mayor say, a certain hush to his tone. "It's _imperative_ that we find it and collect it before anyone else does. How exactly does a well known high school detective come to the village, and _none_ of you recognize him?"

It didn't take a genius to realize that they were talking about Heiji.

"As long as the villagers believe that foolish notion of him being spirited away, that works to our advantage." He heard another person whose voice he didn't know speak up. "The same can't be said about that detective, Mouri Kogoro, though. He's really trouble. If by any chance he finds the body before us..."

"It won't happen." Ueda spoke up now. "We've been combing the entire river for any signs of that detective boy, but we haven't turned up a single thing. Are you certain he's dead, Imamura?"

"I saw him fall into the river, the same as Watanabe." The man, apparently named Imamura spoke up. "There's no way anyone could have survived that."

Oi, oi. Conan felt the color drain from his face as he listened to the men's conversation. If he recalled correctly, Watanabe was the last name of the man whose corpse had washed up on the bank of the river, just before they had arrived here. If that was the case, did he really have something to do with Heiji's disappearance?

And why were they talking like Heiji was already dead? That couldn't possibly be true! He couldn't possibly be... it couldn't be.

"Have that detective and those kids hanging around him noticed anything yet, Ueda?" The mayor asked. "It'll be trouble for us if they do. There's only so far we can stretch accidental deaths before things start looking fishy. Thanks to Watanabe's screw up, we're in enough trouble already."

"I don't believe so." Ueda shook his head. "At least not to my knowledge. I'll make sure my officers keep an eye on them. Of course, I haven't told them the reasons why."

"Good. Keep it that way." The mayor instructed him. "If all goes well, the four of us will be rich beyond our wildest dreams- but before that, we have to do something about that bothersome priestess."

"If it's in regards to that," The man whose voice and name Conan didn't know finally spoke up again. "I do have an idea. A big finishing act worthy of a fox priestess."

"Oh?" The mayor spoke, and the hint of amusement in his voice was more than enough to make Conan's gut churn. "That's reassuring news indeed. I look forward to it."

At that point, the men's voices started trailing off, and Conan realized they'd gotten too far away for him to hear them properly. Getting down on his hands and knees, he silently crawled behind them, trying to stay within earshot. If they were discussing what they thought they were discussing, then he _definitely_ needed to hear this.

"As you should, Mayor! But have no fear, it'll completely look like an unfortunate accident." The man reassured him. "On the last night of the festival-"

 _Snap_.

Conan had to bite back an urge to use every swear word he knew, at the sound of the twig breaking underneath his knee caught the attention of the men. He could already hear them mumbling, trying to determine if someone was there- before the fox that had been following along behind him sprung into action, leaping out of the bushes. Glancing up at the group of men, it raised up a paw to scratch behind one of it's ears.

"What, it's just a fox." The mayor said, letting out a deep sigh of relief. "That give me a start."

Conan didn't let out the breath he was holding until after the men were well out of earshot. It would be too risky to continue following them after that close call. Falling back down on the forest floor, he took in and let out a deep breath, calming his racing heart somewhat. These men were definitely ready to kill if someone found them out, he thought.

And by the sounds of it, they'd already...

Closing his eyes, Conan tried to beat back the tide of negativity rising up inside of him. Was it really possible that Heiji could have really been killed? Were they too late? A wave of guilt surged through his small body, broken only by the faint sound of rustling as the brown fox rejoined him, peering down at the not-child's face.

Opening his eyes and turning his head so that he locked eyes with the brown fox, Conan's eyes narrowed, studying the too familiar blue eyes of the fox. Blue, he thought, was a strange color for a fox.

Pushing himself up to a sitting position, he picked up the fox, placing it in his lap. The animal didn't seem to protest, instead seeming to look at him with no small amount of anticipation. Compared to the prospect of Heiji being dead, the idea of him somehow, however absurd, being turned into a fox like the legends, was _considerably_ more appealing.

"What are you thinking, Kudo." Conan finally said to himself, scratching his head. "There's no way it could be possible."

As he watched the fox's face fall, it's expression changing to one of apparent irritation, the fox jumped backwards off of his lap. Twitching it's tail in an apparent show of anger, the fox seemed to grumble to itself- before it seemed to come to some kind of decision. Using it's tail to sweep away the leaves on the ground, it produced a single claw out of it's paw, and began to scratch it against the forest floor. Once finished, it tapped the ground below it's writing, giving the pint sized detective a rather intense gaze.

"What?" Conan grumbled, not liking the feeling of being bossed around by an animal. Still, he lit up his wristwatch flashlight, curious as to what it was the animal was doing. No sooner than he did, he found his eyes going straight back to the fox's face, watching as it's expression changed again to that familiar grin.

Written in the ground was a single character- which, unmistakably, read as _idiot_.

Opening and closing his mouth, Conan for a moment, found himself rendered completely speechless. That... this? It couldn't be. There was _no way_.

But-

"... _Hattori_?"

If watching the amazingly familiar way in which the fox perked up at his words wasn't enough to momentarily stop all of the gears in the Detective of the East's brain, then what happened next _definitely_ did the trick.

Because before his eyes, something happened that there was no way he could explain with logic or science- in an instant, the brown fox in front of him almost seemed to vanish into smoke. The tendrils of smoke shifted and gathered together in the air, leaving behind someone that had become infinitely familiar to Conan over the course of the past several months, an unmistakable grin on the face of the dark skinned boy that all but floated in front of him. A fox mask was worn askew on the side of his head, the last tendrils of smoke curling around his form to finish forming the black and red kimono he was clad in, one that somewhat lazily hung off his shoulders, as if he were not the least bit bothered by the chill of the night air. Around his neck hung an unmistakable omamori, one that was part of a pair.

The distant sound of bells chimed in Conan's ears, invoking in him a brief image of the hidden shrine, all lit up by candles.

The mouth of the dark skinned apparition floating in front of him might not have moved, but there was no mistaking the voice that Conan heard in his head, ringing out loud and clear.

 _It took ya long enough, Kudo! Some great detective ya are, honestly!_

On some subconscious level, some part of the tiny detective that didn't want to be caught stunned into speechlessness by Hattori Heiji of all people, a voice bubbled up to the surface. The next thing out of his mouth, perhaps, was arguably one of the stupidest things he'd ever asked in his entire life.

"...do you know you have a tail, Hattori?"


	4. Grandmother Fox Offers a Deal

AN: Without further delay, here's chapter four! Just like the previous chapter, there were many parts of this that were pretty fun to write! Hopefully within the next chapter we should wrap up the Seishina arc, and then move on to the next arc. I hope everyone looks forward to it!

Be sure to leave a review if you can! To those of you who already have, I wholeheartedly thank you!

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter Four**

 **Grandmother Fox Offers a Deal**

* * *

 _Geez, Kudo. It's the first time we've seen each other in awhile, an'_ _ **that's**_ _the first thing ya've got ta say ta me? I'm hurt here!_

Conan opened and shut his mouth, trying to process what he had just witnessed. Silently, he gave his arm a sharp pinch, yelping a little when it hurt. His most logical explanation, that this was in fact a dream escaping him, he was forced to confront the one truth before him- that this was real.

The apparition that had appeared in front of him- and apparition was a good word for him, considering that he was essentially floating in midair before him- was none other than Hattori Heiji, considered as the great detective of the west by many to match his own title as great detective of the east. All things considered, he seemed to be taking this pretty well, and frankly, Conan wished he had half of his composure at the moment, because he wasn't even certain where to start.

 _Did I break ya or somethin', Kudo?_

There it was again. Heiji's mouth definitely wasn't moving, and yet there was no mistaking his Osakan accented voice inside of his head.

"Just..." Conan spoke again finally, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just give me a second to try and process this please, Hattori."

 _Oh, sure thing! Take yer time!_

Eye twitching slightly as the Osakan's voice appeared directly in his head again, Conan closed his eyes, trying to process everything that had just happened in about the past minute or so. It was a seemingly impossible set of circumstances, and part of him was still trying to logically explain everything before him. There must have been some kind of trick, there must be some logical explanation other than some kind of magic at work.

But even he knew that there wasn't, and furthermore understood that trying to continue to deny it when it was starting him literally in the face wasn't going to do him any favors. And so, Conan opened his eyes, taking in and letting out a deep breath, before he got to his feet, locking eyes with Heiji.

"Could you at least stop floating, Hattori?" He asked dryly, glancing down at the teenager's bare feet, which clearly weren't touching the ground.

 _Oh, sorry, sorry. No problem._ Heiji flashed a grin as he responded to Conan's request, his feet touching the ground. He couldn't help but notice that the leaves on the forest floor made no sound in response to this, almost as if they didn't register that something had tread on top of them.

"First things first. Are you speaking to me in my head?" Conan asked, a hand pointed to his own head for emphasis.

 _That's right!_ Heiji's grin grew at this, before he pointed to his neck, stretching it a little so that Conan could get a better look at the rope marks that still scarred his neck. _With my throat like this, I can't really use it fer much of anythin'. Ya've seen that much yerself already, right? That doctor said so._

For some strange reason, the idea that the fox's physical injury had effects that carried over to this form actually seemed to help quiet the logical, skeptical part of Conan's mind somewhat. "I see. So you really were attacked, then? By that Watanabe-san?"

 _That's right, Kudo! Let me tell ya, gettin' strangled ain't somethin' I ever hope ta go through again any time soon. It's not fun! An' on top of that, I ended up fallin' into the river and drownin'. Really, it was the worst set of circumstances._ Heiji's complaints flowed into Conan's head, all while the dark skinned boy folded his arms in front of his chest, and apparently without thinking about it, started floating again. Crossing his legs, he essentially hovered in a sitting position in midair, brown fox tail twitching in annoyance behind him, acting as if for all the world it had always been there.

The matching set of ears on Heiji's head did very much the same, Conan noted, staring blankly up towards them. That was going to take some getting used to, he thought.

"And?" Conan asked, deciding at this point to simply accept whatever else this situation threw at him. "The case is more important at the moment, especially if they're really planning on killing Yamagishi-san, so I'll start with that and then loop back around to your... current situation, Hattori. It's obvious that the mayor and the police chief have something to do with this- but who is this Imamura they were speaking with? Not to mention the fourth person whose name I didn't get..."

 _So cold, Kudo._ Heiji's pouted somewhat at his words, before his expression took a turn for the more serious. It was comforting to learn that whatever had happened to him to turn him into this, it hadn't done anything to his detective skills. _But I haven't just been lyin' around an' sleepin' all this time. That Imamura fellow is Imamura Yoshio, a business owner in the area. That man whose name ya don't know is Hidehara Kyousuke, the mayor's personal assistant an' a real creepy fellow! If I'm not wrong, he's also the one behind Yamagishi-han's grandfather's murder as well._

"How involved is the rest of the police force?" Conan asked. Depending on Heiji's answer, they might need to call for outside help. "Ueda's definitely up to his neck in all of this."

 _They don't know._ Heiji told him, his gaze briefly flickering in the direction the men had went. _If ya confronted them with enough evidence, they'd definitely act an' arrest their superior officer. Well, it still might be a good idea to put in a call for some higher powers ta come swingin' by just ta be on the safe side._

"Any chance you know anything about Hidehara-san's plan?" Conan asked, glancing up at Heiji. When the floating teenager simply shook his head, he frowned, his brows furrowing together in thought. "From the sound of it he doesn't plan on acting until the festival, so we still have time, but if we make one wrong move, he might decide and accelerate his plans."

 _Yeah, that's the trouble._ Heiji agreed, nodding his head. _Now that we know he's up to somethin' though, I can spy on him some more and find out fer sure what he's got planned._

"Good. Let's go with that strategy for now." Conan agreed. "So they're really after the treasure on Fox's Mountain, then. Thanks for showing it to me, Hattori. I thought it was a bit strange that they would go through all of this trouble just for a ski resort. Something about that didn't sit right with me."

 _No problem at all!_ Heiji flashed a grin. _I'm just glad ya started followin' me around on yer own! If Kazuha wasn't there, I don't know what I would have done back at the shrine. I didn't want ta drag her over to a corpse by herself first thing._

"It couldn't be helped!" Conan grumbled. But at least his words confirmed the fact that Kazuha likely knew about Heiji's current condition since they had met at the shrine. It didn't surprise him, really. She was Heiji's childhood friend, after all, and she always believed in that sort of thing. "There's no way I would have ever thought that you'd..." His words caught in his throat, refusing to come out for a brief moment. "That you'd turn into some kind of fox, Hattori. Normally that sort of thing doesn't happen."

 _Normally people don't shrink either._ Heiji pointed out, arching a brow. _But I was startin' ta wonder what I would do if ya didn't realize it yerself, Kudo. Do ya know how frustratin' it was fer me to watch ya keep denyin' the truth over an' over again? Ya really were determined not ta get it this time! Ya wouldn't even be able ta see me in this form in the first place if ya hadn't accepted it. Ya look like a child, but ya don't got the eyes of one, after all._

"Can you blame me?" Conan asked, his tone somewhat sour. "You're a _fox_ , Hattori. I'm surprised you're handling this so well yourself."

 _Meh, it's not that bad._ Heiji shrugged his shoulders, looking rather placid about everything. _There's probably a way fer me to become human again out there anyways. It's just a matter of findin' it in the first place. An' there's nothin' a detective does better than searchin' out the truth, after all! This Great Detective of the West will have this problem solved in no time at all!_

"Well, that's reassuring." Conan admitted after a moment. "But what are you going to do from now on, Hattori? No, wait." He stopped himself, holding up a hand. "Actually, I should back up. Can you explain to me what happened to you, Hattori? I gather that you were strangled, fell into the river with your attacker, and nearly drowned, but..."

 _Not nearly drowned. I definitely drowned._ Heiji corrected him, grimacing a little as he recalled it again. _I died there fer a second, Kudo._

Conan had to avert his gaze from Heiji then, not really wanting his rival to see his expression in response to those words. The question 'are you still dead' briefly danced over his tongue, but he decided not to ask it. The answer would probably become clear in short order anyways, from the sound of it.

 _Ah, close yer eyes for a second, Kudo._ Heiji's voice instructed him as it floated through his head. Biting back a question as to why, Conan nevertheless did what Heiji told him, and shut his eyes. Behind closed lids, he could still make out something like a light appearing before him. _It'll probably be faster if I just show ya._

"Show me...?" Conan's voice trailed off, as his question was quickly answered for him.

* * *

Cold, rapid waters mercilessly pulled his body under. Barely having gotten out a few gasps of breath when the man's hands had released their grip on the rope, the urge to gasp for breath even while being pulled underwater was overpowering. In the end, he couldn't fight it, feeling water filling up his lungs, a burning sensation in his already damaged throat as he choked on it.

Just as blackness began to creep into his vision, and what surely was the cold grip of death enveloped him, he heard it. From the distance, the faint sound of bells.

And a voice, calling out to him.

 _"Do you wish to live, child of man?"_

Of course he did! There was no way that Hattori Heiji was going to die here like this! There were too many things he hadn't done yet, too many people he was going to leave behind. He hadn't even confessed to Kazuha yet, and hadn't even really begun to help Kudo deal with the Black Organization yet. There was no way he was going to die like this!

 _"What would you be willing to trade for your life, child of man? Would you be willing to throw away your existence as a human?"_

The question didn't even give him pause. Whatever it was, he'd gladly take it if it meant surviving.

As he thought that, the chime of bells, once distant, loudly rung out in his ears. Gasping for breath and realizing that he could do it now without feeling the burning sensation of water flowing down his throat, Heiji forced his eyes open, realizing that he was no longer in the river, but inside a cave.

Before him, a small shrine stood, candles illuminating the otherwise dark cave. Strangely, he thought, the darkness didn't seem to bother him as much as he felt it should have. In fact there was almost something off-kilter about the world, as if everything had somehow tilted and grown, in a way that he couldn't quite explain. It was as if he were suddenly viewing everything from a completely different perspective than he was used to. Something about his body felt unnatural, though it seemed as if he were rapidly adapting to it, the unnatural feeling already slowly starting to subside.

"You've come to, little one." The young woman's voice echoed throughout the cave, and Heiji blinked, wondering how he had missed her before. She stood in front of the shrine, a pure white kimono adorning her body. Her hair was the same pure white color, flowing like a river down her back. Strange, silver eyes were fixed on him, and there was a deep wisdom in them, as if she had lived far longer than her rather young appearance let on.

But what was most notable, he thought, were the nine fox tails she possessed, all the same pure white color as her hair and clothes. Pure white fox ears flicked slightly at the top of her head, and as she took a step forward, the sound of bells rang out. They were tied around her ankles, Heiji took note, as well as her wrists.

"Very good." The woman spoke again, a gentle smile spreading over her features. "It has been quite some time since I have cast such magic. Those with fox blood in them who can hear my voice grow fewer and fewer still. But that simply is the advancement of time, I suppose."

Magic? Fox blood? Heiji blinked, wondering what she was talking about. He didn't doubt for one second that the woman before him wasn't human- any disbelief he had in the supernatural had been swept away at the moment. Opening his mouth, he tried to speak, only for a strangled sound to come out, one that left him gagging as his throat burned.

"Don't try and speak." The woman warned him. "I'm afraid that I cannot do anything for your throat, it is damaged beyond my means. I do not have such abilities, though there are others in the world who might be able to help you fix it, little one."

That was right. Heiji thought, recalling how he had gotten into this situation in the first place. Even if he hadn't just drowned, he had still just been strangled with quite the amount of force. There was no way that wouldn't have damaged his throat somehow- it was no surprise he couldn't speak.

Wanting to get closer to the mysterious woman in front of him, Heiji tried to take a step forward- only for the world to spiral in front of him, a sense of wrongness overcoming his body all at once. It took him a second for him to pinpoint what was wrong, but when he did, he couldn't help but wonder how it had taken him this long to notice.

No wonder it felt like his perspective had changed. Previously he had approached life on two legs- and now he was on four, he realized, wondering what to make of the apparent fact that he had in fact, ceased to be human. Remembering the woman's words from the river, he closed his eyes, laughing a little in his head, wondering if perhaps he shouldn't have been so hasty to jump on her offer.

Who would have thought it would have caused him to turn into a fox.

For a moment, he wondered if it were a dream- but the burning pain that trying to speak had caused him had already long since vetoed this prospect. At the very least, with the realization that his body had fundamentally changed, the sense of wrongness within him slipped away, and with it came a sense of acceptance of this bizarre situation. At once he felt connected fully with his body again, allowing him to approach the woman as he had originally planned, before sitting down in front of her, glancing up at her with an expectant look.

"My, you came to terms with it rather quickly." The woman observed, a hint of amusement dancing over her features. "Usually people are more surprised than this."

Heiji merely imitated the act of quirking an eyebrow- he of course, had no such thing at the moment, but that apparently wasn't enough to stop his muscle memory- tilting his head a little at the woman.

"Ah, I'm sure you're wondering how to communicate." The woman said, lightly taping her head, giving him a small wink. "Use this. You should be able to send your voice into my head without any problems."

 _That's convenient._ Heiji thought, gauging from the woman's reaction that she had properly heard him. _So? Do you plan on explainin' things ta me? I'm waitin'._ He sent to her, his newfound tail twitching behind him somewhat angrily.

"There's no need to get so angry at me, Hattori Heiji." The woman said simply, an amused smile gracing her face once more as he reacted to his name. "Of course I know your name. I've been watching you ever since you entered this village, after all. Your blood called out to me. Who would have thought that you were the one that my cute Ritsuko called out to for help!"

 _My cute Ritsuko...?_ Heiji blinked. In spite of the absurd situation, those detective gears in his head starting clicking away. _Yer the one she talked about, ain't ya? That Grandmother Fox or whoever. An' Ritsuko-han- she's related ta ya in some way, ain't she? That's why she mysteriously appeared from within the forest 'round here._

"Right on the mark." The woman, now correctly identified as Grandmother Fox, smiled softly down at Heiji. "I am her grandmother, after all, as I am to all on this mountain. When I learned that the shrine had no heir, I regretfully parted with one of my many grandchildren, and sent her to the world of humans, where I knew she would be lovingly cared for by Yamagishi-san. It was necessary to continue the survival of the Yamagishi family, however tragic our parting was."

 _Then why haven't ya done anythin' fer her? She's scared out of her wits, this precious granddaughter of yers._ Heiji's tail twitched again. _An' now that I'm like_ _ **this**_ _, I'm not sure how much help I can provide her with._

Well, once news of him going missing broke, that guy was sure to come to this place, Heiji thought to himself. He wondered how Kudo would react if he learned about what had happened to him- providing his ever skeptical friend would accept the truth in the first place. Heiji, admittedly, had some doubts.

"I cannot." Grandmother Fox said simply. "I am not all powerful, young one, otherwise I would strike out with all my vengeance, and drag those who dare harm my children down into hell. But do not speak like I have done nothing- I saved your life, did I not, child?"

 _Well, I guess that's technically true._ Heiji had to admit. Living his life as fox might still be a better alternative to being dead. _But if ya could do somethin' like this, why didn't ya do anythin' fer her grandfather? It sounds like ya liked the guy, after all._

"Yamagishi-san was a splendid human, who I cared for very much." She said. "But I could do nothing for him other than ensure his body was found quickly, and in one piece. He had none of my blood flowing through him after all. My power has dwindled over the years, child, though with the festival growing again they are slowly returning to me. Tainted with corruption as it is though, not fast nearly fast enough. Without fox blood already flowing in your veins, you already would be dead."

 _Wait a second there._ Heiji held up a paw, giving the guardian deity before him a rather blank look. _What are ya talkin' about? Fox blood? Me?_

"Traces of it in you, rather, though admittedly somewhat strong ones." Grandmother Fox specified. "Passed down from one or both of your parents. Probably one of your distant ancestors was a fox that took human form, and had children."

 _Haah._ For some reason, given the current situation, Heiji found that rather easy to accept. He'd definitely referred to his father as a 'fox-eyed bastard' from time to time when he was angry at him, but it appeared he was a little more spot on in his speculation than he had at first thought. _I see._

"You seem somewhat distressed over your situation, child." Grandmother Fox observed with a smile. "Fear not, child of man. There are those out there who may able to restore you to human form, should you seek them out. I cannot reverse a transformation I have done myself, I'm afraid. I know not where they are myself, least I would assist you, but I do suppose you're rather predisposed to finding such things out yourself, are you not?"

 _Is that true?_ Heiji's ears perked up, his entire posture overall shifting to be more positive. _That's great news!_

"And fear not, child." Grandmother Fox spoke again, a sly expression on her face. "Should you listen well to my teachings, there are many things I can do for you as you are now. After all, that girl I saw when shifting through your memories- you would very much like to be with her, would you not?"

Were he able to blush in this form, he surely would have done so. As it was, his tail stuck straight up, his eyes going wide. _I-I don't know what ya mean!_

"Fufufu~. You cannot hide it from me, child." Grandmother Fox laughed, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Because you have come all this way to the village on behalf of my granddaughter who knows not of her own blood, I will help you further still. Listen to me well, for I have many things to teach you, and not very much time in order to do so before your friends come searching for you, and before an ill omen falls over Fox Mountain."

* * *

The scene abruptly ended there, causing Conan to snap his eyes open and gasp for breath. Stumbling a little, for a moment, not understanding that he was able to balance perfectly well on two legs, Conan placed his hand against a tree to steady himself. His heart raced in his chest, wondering at what he'd just seen- and felt, as if he had been living the memory himself. Finally, he looked up towards Heiji, who was looking at him with a mixture of concern and vague amusement.

"What." He began, narrowing his eyes. "Was that."

 _I just shared one of my memories with ya, that's all. It's easier than tellin' ya the whole thing, ain't it?_ Heiji merely shrugged his shoulders, acting for all the world as if there was nothing outlandish or fantastical about this statement. _It's a trick I learned!_

"Right. Of course it was." Conan said simply, pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to get rid of the lingering effects of what he'd just experienced. The ease at which Heiji had slipped into his new role was nothing short of amazing, Conan thought- but then again, he supposed he'd slipped into his role as Edogawa Conan with just as much ease. Being adaptable was a good trait for a detective to posses.

"And is that form of yours," Conan said, waving a hand at Heiji's everything, "...a trick you learned as well?"

 _That's right!_ Flashing his pint sized friend a wide grin, Heiji's tail eagerly wagged away, looking pleased as punch that he was getting it so easily now. His enthusiasm couldn't fight back a yawn, however, which slipped out without a sound. _But that took more outta me than I thought it would. I'm goin' ta return back now, Kudo._

"Return back?" Conan blinked, wondering what he might mean- before Heiji showed him. His current form dissolved once more into smoke, leaving behind the brown fox in his place. Ears twitching as he shook his head, the fox Heiji blinked a little, readjusting to the changed form, before he looked back up at Conan, that all too familiar grin appearing on it's face, complete with a wagging tail.

"I can't believe this." Conan grumbled, sinking down against the tree, running a hand through his hair. "You're really Hattori, aren't you?"

 _The one an' only!_ Heiji's voice drifted back into Conan's thoughts, and he jumped a little at it. Having it come from something that at least appeared quite human was one thing, having it come from an animal was another thing entirely. _Ya just gotta accept it, Kudo. It'll be easier that way._

"You're basically asking me to throw away my entire stance on the supernatural, Hattori." Conan pointed out, before heaving a sigh. He _did_ have a point, in the end. "Well, I have to say though." He looked back over at the fox, reaching out to lightly scratch underneath the animal's chin. The fact that Heiji already had fox blood flowing through his veins was perhaps the _least_ surprising revelation of the evening. "A fox suits you."

 _What am I supposed to take from that statement?_ Heiji asked, grumbling a little as the not-child treated him casually as if he were some kind of pet- in spite of the telltale wagging of his tail which exposed the fact that he did, somewhat, enjoy the attention.

"Just that you've always had a mischievous streak a mile wide." Conan said simply, getting back to his feet, brushing dirt off the backside of his pants. "But I'll bring up my question from earlier again. What do you plan on doing now, Hattori? If Hattori Heiji doesn't turn up again somewhere after this, the search for you will only increase, you know. Well, I guess your situation's not quite like mine where you _need_ to hide, but..."

 _Ah, if it's about that, don't worry 'bout it. Kazuha an' I will work somethin' out._ Heiji mentally reassured him. _This isn't the end ta my bag of tricks, either! Well, that said, there's still a bunch of stuff I gotta learn first off... but well, things'll work out. If all goes well, ya should be seein' me afore the festival begins, or at least, right after it starts._

"Sometimes I envy that carefree attitude of yours." Conan said simply, before letting out a small yawn. "So, what do you want to do? Shall we try and find the mayor and his men again?"

 _It's probably not a good idea. If they're plannin' somethin' fer the festival, my best bet is that whatever they've got in mind might be on the last day of it. They wouldn't want to waste their precious tourism money by creatin' a fake accident on the first day of it, would that? That gives us time._

"That's certainly true." Conan said, musing over his words. "Then, we had better get back to the shrine. It would be a problem if someone woke up and realized I wasn't there." Moving to switch on his wristwatch flashlight, Conan shined it in front of him once again- before it sputtered and gave out. "Ah, crap. The battery's dead."

 _Don't worry 'bout it, Kudo! Leave lightin' the way ta me!_ With a flick of his tail, the fox Heiji took a step forward, what appeared to be small flames dancing around his paws. They floated upwards, forming small orbs which hung in the air, illuminating the area in front of them. _Neat, right?_

"Yeah." Conan said, his expression and tone equally blank as he stared at what was in front of him- what would most likely be called spirit fires. " _Neat_."

If what Heiji had said about possibly being able to return to normal had been true, then Conan really wished he'd hurry up and find someone who could do it. He didn't know how much more of this he could take.

* * *

If there was one thing in all of this that he hadn't counted on, it was probably Kazuha's smug grin. Namely the one that she was directing at him right now.

After all of his talk about the supernatural being fake, here it was, smacking him in the face in a way he really didn't care for. Granted, considering the alternative was Heiji being dead, he wasn't about ready to complain too much about it- but he hadn't predicted exactly how Kazuha would react when it turned out she was the one who was right about monsters and the like all along.

No doubt she'd gotten an excited report from Heiji, that probably involved his fellow high school detective calling him 'Kudo' again, which he had probably tried to hastily explain away. Briefly, he wondered if Kazuha had said anything to Ran, but given the way that she still seemed to be looking for Heiji in earnest, completely unaware that he was sitting right next to her eating a plate of scrambled eggs Kazuha had set down in front of him, she probably hadn't.

They had both slipped back in during the night without anyone ever noticing that they had gone missing and had spent a short while discussing their plan of action for the next day. Heiji had agreed to stick to Hidehara's side for the day, and observe his actions, while Conan had decided to in turn, stick with Ritsuko, and learn what he could from her about the festival.

Which turned out to be something that involved quite a bit of walking. It shouldn't have surprised him. With all of the festival setup going on in full swing, the priestess of the shrine had her hands full with plenty of things to do. It appeared that she was one of the main people in charge of the festival- although the mayor profited off it the most, he had very little to do with the actual work of setting it up.

"Hey, Ritsuko-neechan," Conan looked up at her. "What kind of events does the festival have?"

"Events?" Ritsuko asked, before smiling a little. "Well, there's the fireworks on the first and last days of the festival, and there's the booths that are set up at the shrine during the two middle days. There's all kinds of games to play then, Conan-kun, so if you're still here during that time, I hope you have fun!"

"And on the fourth day, there's Grandmother Fox's procession." Ritsuko told him, her enthusiasm clear in her voice as she spoke. "Of course, I'll be one the one playing Grandmother Fox this year. It's carrying her through the town that the outside helpers are here for in the first place."

"Can you tell me about it?" Conan asked, the gears in his head already starting to work. Out of the listed events, this one seemed to be the one most likely to be rigged by the mayor's man.

"Of course!" Ritsuko said, nodding her head. "The procession starts first at the village town hall, over there," she motioned outwards towards the village, pointing towards where the town hall lay quite some distance away. "And ends here at the shrine. I start by performing a ceremony at the town hall in the form of the old Grandmother Fox, before I enter into a palanquin, which is paraded to great fanfare here to the shrine."

"Of course, when I step out of the palanquin at the steps of the shrine, I step out as the young Grandmother Fox! It's not easy changing your costume and makeup in that tiny box." Ritsuko noted with a slight laugh. "So it always amazes people when I step out in a completely different costume. After that, I ascend the steps to the shrine, and perform another ceremony there... once that's over, the fireworks begin."

"What kind of ceremony is it?" Conan asked.

"A fire lighting ceremony." Ritsuko told him, glancing behind her, towards the front of the shrine where there was already a makeshift altar in the process of being set up. "You see? There's one just like it being constructed at the town hall right now. I light it on fire and recite a blessing for the year to come. Over at town hall, I thank the previous year for the gifts that it brought us."

"Heeh, I see! I can't wait to see it, Ritsuko-neechan!" Conan beamed widely at the woman, his childlike expression masking his decidedly unchildlike thoughts. If that Hidehara was planning something to take Ritsuko out that looked like an accident, tampering with the altar she was supposed to light on fire was probably the best bet. Of course, it was also possible that he could arrange for an accident with the palanquin as well, so he wasn't entirely willing to rule that out just yet. But given what he'd said before- that it would be a big finishing act fit for a fox priestess, Conan's money was on him tampering with the altar at the shrine.

Tampering with the altar probably would be very possible. It wasn't like security around it was very tight. If he had a worker slip in to tamper with it, then nobody would notice. It was also possible that he might sneak in under the cover of darkness and tamper with it himself. Whatever the case, it would be a good idea to carefully observe the altar.

What would be the best move then? Confront him with the evidence after he tampered with it? No, if they did that, the mayor and his men might be able to weasel their way out of their involvement. It had to be in a way that decisively proved beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the mayor and the police chief were involved in this plot.

An idea formed in his head then, one he decided to discuss with Heiji the next time he saw him. With the most likely instrument of murder found, and the culprits lined up, all that remained was the gathering of evidence. Between the two detectives (and Kogoro was here too he guessed) they wouldn't be able to escape them.

* * *

Time marched on as the two detectives poured their everything into this investigation. Digging up evidence in a case this deeply rooted in corruption was never easy, especially when it involved the police force themselves. Kazuha was more than happy to assist where she could, having apparently lectured Heiji on the merits of involving a seven year old boy in an investigation of this caliber. That, at least, Conan thought, meant that she still had no idea that was in fact, not actually seven, and that Heiji hadn't managed to slip up to her in any way to arouse her suspicions.

And as they continued to look into things, Ran got more and more antsy. In spite of Kazuha and Conan's attempts to reassure her that Heiji was probably fine, and was probably still alive and well somewhere, as the days ticked by, and the first day of the festival began, her worries came to the forefront.

Heiji had to admit he was touched. He didn't know that she cared about him so much, especially considering that the two of them didn't have many chances to talk to each other alone before this.

Still, it was proving to be a problem, and Conan had brought it up to Heiji.

The fox had given him a considering look, his tail twitching behind him in thought. Conan was frankly amazed that he'd been able to begin to determine what all of his expressions in this form were, and at how quickly he'd managed to get used to the idea of discussing case work with an animal. Heiji had been right thought- the faster he accepted everything, the better it was for him.

The two of them had been formulating a plan together during this time period, concocting a scheme with which to not only protect Ritsuko, but also to expose the crimes of the mayor and his men. There was an element of it that he felt that Heiji had thought of, but wasn't telling him just yet, as if he weren't certain of if it would work out or not yet. And it was that same element, he sensed, that was coming in to play as Heiji considered what the shrunken detective told him about Ran's mounting worries.

And he had a slightly sneaking suspicion that he knew what it was. The biggest question he guessed, was if it were possible.

So when Kazuha told Ran to come with her with no small amount of excitement in her voice, Conan had a sneaking suspicion of what they would find. It turned out that the place that Kazuha wanted them to go to was the doctor's clinic, which was something that took Conan slightly by surprise. He recalled that the village doctor was the second son of the mayor- but also just as easily recalled that he was estranged from the family and didn't care for his father's actions. If Heiji had decided to trust him, then he supposed he would do the same.

Sensing that Kazuha might want to share with her something about Heiji, it appeared that Ran had also called Kogoro along, something which Kazuha didn't appear to have a problem with. Waiting outside to meet them was the doctor himself, Wakahisa Taisuke, who glanced over at the approaching group with apparent disinterest. Conan doubted that he knew the whole story here.

Taisuke lead them almost wordlessly inside of the small clinic, leading them back to the furthest room. Excusing himself, he went back towards the front of the clinic, leaving the group of four to themselves.

"And? What did you bring me all the way out here to see?" Kogoro asked, and Conan silently bite back a comment that he was basically just an add-on, Kazuha really wanted to show this to Ran, not him. "I'm still in the middle of my investigation, you know."

"Don't worry, it's very important!" Kazuha said, unable to keep her cheer out of her voice. "In fact, one might actually be able to say it's rather crucial to your investigation!"

"Don't tell me!" Ran's eyes lit up as the realization hit her, and she reached out to grab Kazuha's hands. "You found Hattori-kun!?"

"On the mark!" Kazuha said, her grin nearly bright enough to rival one of her childhood friend's. Slipping her hands from Ran's grasp, she stepped inside of the clinic's backroom, and with one swift, theatrical motion, she swept back the curtain that concealed the bed behind it from view. " _Tada_!"

Behind the curtain, of course, was none other than Heiji himself, perfectly visible for all to see, appearing for all the world to be the same human being he'd always been. He flashed the surprised pair of Ran and Kogoro a wide grin, waving a hand at them as he rose to his feet.

Briefly Conan considered the possibility that he'd been able to find a way to return to being human already- but upon closer examination of his friend, he dismissed that idea. It was subtle and hard to notice if you weren't looking for it, but there were telltale signs that what currently flowed through Heiji wasn't a human's blood. It was written in the strangeness of his eyes, pupils too thin to be a human's, and in the sharpness of his nails, just enough so that it was easy to miss.

"Hattori-kun!" Ran's voice contained a mixture of delight and relief. "It really is you! We were getting so worried about you, you know! Where have you been all this time?" She paused mid-step, catching sight of the bandages wrapped around his neck, concealing the marks the rope that had strangled him left behind. "Are you hurt?"

"Ah well about that..." Kazuha began, glancing back towards Heiji. He lifted up his hands, making motions that Conan quickly recognized as sign language- though he didn't understand what they meant himself. He couldn't help but wonder when Heiji had learned it- and Kazuha for that matter, since she seemed to understand him right away. "Heiji can't speak right now. His throat and his vocal chords were badly damaged."

"That's horrible!" Ran's eyes narrowed, a flash of anger surging through her. "Who was it that did such a thing?" There was an undercurrent of 'I'll make them pay' to her words.

"About that..." Kazuha said, clapping her hands together with a grin. "We actually have a plan."


	5. The Roaring Fire Gives Way to the Truth

AN: Chapter five is finally finished! And with it we bring the Seishina arc to a close. Next chapter sets up a brand new arc, one that takes place in Osaka! I've got several arcs with cases planned out for this story already, so I hope everyone looks forward to finding out what they all are!

As always, thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you have a chance, I'd really appreciate it!

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter Five**

 **The Roaring Fire Gives Way to the Truth**

* * *

The sound of bells that filled the village had nothing to do with the supernatural this time.

Dressed in the garb and makeup of the withered and old Grandmother Fox, the bells on Ritsuko's staff chimed as she lifted it in the air, performing a rather dramatic motion, bringing it down before her and tapping it on the altar before her twice. With a spark, the altar roared to life, bursting into flames from within. Lifting the staff up once more and ringing it out clearly into the sky, Ritsuko turned around to face the awed crowd gathered in front of the town hall. Directing their attention to the ornate palanquin that awaited her, she made her way with grace towards it, bowing dramatically once more before she stepped inside, twitching the curtains closed behind her.

It was the evening of the final day of the festival, and everything was in order. With Kazuha conveying the plan that Heiji and Conan had thought up to the others for them, things had been arranged in neat order. At the moment, everything was going to plan, Conan thought, as he turned to look at the six helpers who had been picked to carry Grandmother Fox's palanquin that evening. Among their numbers, two of them had been replaced, and they briefly glanced Conan and Ran's way, before they lifted up the palanquin, the sound of the bells attached to it ringing out as it was hefted into the air.

"Then, let's follow them, Conan-kun." Ran glanced down at him, taking his hand in her own. Keeping an eye on the crowd and the palanquin alike was their role, after all. It would be bad if their theory was wrong, and Hidehara had something else planned other than what he'd tried to set up at the shrine's altar. Just as Conan had suspected, he had indeed tried to tamper with it the previous night, something which they had quickly fixed in secrecy. Standing by at the shrine, keeping an eye on the altar to discourage anyone from double checking it, was Kogoro.

The pair who had replaced the helpers carrying the palanquin, dressed in matching red hakama, their faces all concealed by fox masks, were of course, none other than Heiji and Kazuha, standing on opposite sides of each other.

Everything on their end was ready. By the time the night drew to a close, the case that had ensnared the village of Seishina for too long would also finally draw to a close.

It gave them some time to enjoy the festival, which was more crowded than Conan had anticipated. He supposed he should have suspected as much, after hearing about the festival's popularity being the root cause for how forward the mayor had become in his actions in regards to Fox Mountain. He had in some part still expected a small festival- not a grand affair that it had turned out to be.

Ran, Conan, and Kazuha had been able to enjoy the booths set up around the shrine on the second and third days of the festival. Of course, Heiji had been there as well, the brown fox curled around Kazuha's shoulders as if for all the world it belonged there. As far as Ran and Kogoro knew however, Heiji was still hiding out at the clinic, since it wouldn't be good if the mayor's men learned that he had survived their assault on him before the plan was set into action. In truth of course, he'd actually been largely hanging around the shrine the entire time, the brown fox never far behind either Kazuha or Conan.

He hadn't really told Taisuke any details, and had simply told him to pretend that he was hiding at his clinic. The man hadn't questioned it and didn't seem to care to.

Eyes following the palanquin, Conan's gaze eventually dropped down towards Heiji, at once recognizing which of the masked carriers he was purely due to the darkness of his skin. As far as he understood it, this 'human' form was something of a transformation, though it didn't appear to be something he could hold for a long period of time. Two hours, at most- he'd tested it. He assumed that over time he might be able to length the period of time he could spend in this form, but for the moment, two hours appeared to be the limit.

Catching sight of Imamura Yoshio, the man who had been with Watanabe Yuuichiro, the man who had attacked Heiji, Conan's eyes narrowed. Watching the way the man watched the palanquin, he looked around, hoping to catch sight of the mayor and his other allies. He spotted Ueda well enough, currently working to help ensure that the crowd wouldn't get in the way of the palanquin, and narrowed his eyes. Honestly, the fact that a police officer could be so deeply involved in something like this churned his gut. He was _especially_ invested in seeing him get put behind bars.

The mayor and Hidehara weren't hard to locate after that, the pair of them walking together alongside the mayor's first son, acting for all the world as if they weren't planning to kill the priestess putting on the show everyone had gathered to witness at the end of this. Well, he looked forward to seeing their shocked expressions when the trick Hidehara had set up to kill Ritsuko failed to work.

And it would all be downhill from there for them.

The palanquin's progress towards the shrine was slow but steady, and for the moment, the only mummers amongst the crowd that Conan detected were those of excitement and anticipation. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.

As the palanquin came to a halt in front of the steps of the shrine, he caught Hidehara's expression growing rather smug out of the corner of his eye. He almost wondered if he'd give himself away via his own reaction when his trap failed to spring, and nothing happened when Ritsuko stepped up to the altar to light the flame.

The sound of bells rung out through the air again, as the curtains of the palanquin parted. Out stepped a transformed Ritsuko, her previous garb as the old and withered Grandmother Fox discarded, and her entire demeanor changed into that of a much younger and far more mischievous maiden. Even Conan had to admit he was more than a little impressed by the transformation- changing her clothes and makeup in that little time in such a cramped space with nothing but a hand mirror was no easy feat. Rigorous training was most likely required for this role.

Tapping the butt of her staff on the ground, the bells rang out loudly again, before Ritsuko took her first step, beginning her ascent towards the shrine. The helpers followed suit, and Conan briefly caught Heiji's gaze before he turned and followed the other up the stairs. It was only after Ritsuko and her helpers were halfway up the stairs that others were allowed to follow, and Conan couldn't help but note that the mayor and his men were amongst the first in the crowd to follow after her. No doubt they wanted a good view of the stubborn priestess' end, he thought grimly.

Waiting for the crowd to gather at the shrine before she commenced with the ritual, Ritsuko once again tapped the butt of her staff on the ground, the sound of bells cutting through the air. With a loud, clear voice not the slightest bit muffled by the fox mask she wore over her face, she began to recite her blessing, passing on prosperity and good luck to those who listened for the year to come.

As Ritsuko lifted up her staff overhead once more, Conan's gaze drifted towards the mayor, anticipation clear as day in his eyes. As the bells of her staff rang out, Ritsuko struck the altar twice, activating the mechanism that Conan knew was concealed inside, which would spark a flame within the altar. Hidehara had tampered with the said mechanism, increasing it's output so that it would explode violently when activated, instead of simply creating a spark within the altar itself, containing the blaze safely inside the altar. The faulty mechanism had been quickly replaced afterwards, however, rendering it once again safe for use.

And as the flames roared to life in the altar, and no explosion happened, Conan watched as the smug look vanished instantly off of Hidehara's face, his jaw slightly dropping. As Ritsuko turned around to face the revelers gathered at the shrine, she lifted up her staff once more, the bells ringing out- before she sharply turned on her heel, pointing it towards Hidehara, singling him out of the crowd. The panic was quickly apparent on his face, as his gaze briefly darted away from Ritsuko, towards where Kogoro waited in the wings, his own gaze leveled on the man as well.

This had, of course, been something they had discussed with Ritsuko ahead of time, but Conan had to admit- it probably wouldn't had been half as effective if Ritsuko weren't so skilled at this performance.

"Child of man," Ritsuko's clear voice cut through the crowd, silencing the slightly confused buzz that had been rising in it at once. "Why have you attempted to stain this sacred altar with your sins?"

To Hidehara's credit, he stood his ground, instead of automatically bolting. Well, that would have been held against him when it came to proving his innocence, so he probably realized that on some level. "I am unaware as to what you might mean." He said, his nervousness clear as day on his voice. He probably had thought that his plan had been perfect.

"Child of man, why do you stain your tongue further with lies?" Ritsuko's voice rang out once more, as she tapped her staff to the ground, the bells echoing her words. Her masked gaze shifted towards Kogoro, that being his cue to arrive on the scene. For once, Conan begrudgingly trusted the old man to carry out his part of the plan. After all, he already had been told everything that he needed to know ahead of time, and he wasn't a complete idiot, when it really came down to it. Heiji had grumbled about it himself, but hiding his presence in the village was definitely key to the plan, and his inability to speak would only hinder things at the moment, with Kazuha the only one among them who knew how to interpret his sign language.

Silently separating from Ran as she watched her father take center stage, Conan worked his way through the watching crowd, making his way over towards where the mayor and Ueda stood, watching the proceedings with clear nervousness on their faces, unsure of how this was going to play out, and what, exactly, Ritsuko was trying to pull. He knew without having to look that the number of helpers had decreased to nine, as Kazuha had silently removed her mask and slipped into the crowd when all eyes were focused on Ritsuko, and had made her way towards where Imamura was, in case he got any funny ideas about trying to sleep away when nobody was watching.

Clearing his throat, Kogoro briefly glanced around the crowd, before turning to lock eyes with Hidehara. "Hidehara Kyousuke. I believe this," he began, reaching into his pocket with gloved hands, "might look somewhat familiar to you." In his hand, was of course, the mechanism that he had tampered with, which had been set to be destroyed by the force of the explosion, eradicating all evidence of foul play.

And as they had quickly learned, he so strongly believed this would be the case that he had handled it without taking any precautions to prevent his fingerprints from getting on it. And judging from the man's reaction, he quickly seemed to realize this.

"Yes. This is the original mechanism that was hidden inside the altar. The very one that you rigged in order to trigger an explosion in an attempt to claim the life of the priestess of this very shrine!" Kogoro declared. "There's no use in weaseling your way out of this, Hidehara-san. Not only are your fingerprints all over this device, but there was a witness who observed you tampering with the altar as well."

At the gasp that ran through the crowd, Hidehara clearly began to sweat, taking a step back. Out came the phones, Conan noted, as people quickly began to quickly take to social media about this turn of events, some of them starting to tape the entire thing. This had been something they had anticipated for.

"W-Well, that's-" Hidehara began, his gaze involuntarily heading towards the mayor, almost silently pleading for help- something which he quickly realized he wasn't going to get, as the mayor decided to cut ties with him, then and there.

"Hidehara! What's the meaning of this?" The mayor stepped forward, her loud voice booming outwards. "How dare you do something like this while under my employment! Ueda, quickly arrest this man!"

And that was his cue.

Poking his head out of the crowd, Conan brightly beamed up at the mayor, putting on his cute, innocent child mask for the might. "Ah-le-le? That's a pretty funny thing for you to say, Mister Mayor! After all, I'm pretty sure you knew about Hidehara-san's plan in the first place! Ueda-san too!"

At this the mayor let out a sharp laugh, almost glowering down at what he assumed was the child in front of him. "What a strange thing to say, child! What proof do you have to back up such accusations?"

"But there is proof." Kogoro said, shifting his gaze towards the mayor. Ritsuko kept her own masked gaze looked on Hidehara, the force of the woman playing the role of Grandmother Fox enough to keep him rooted in place. "Starting with you, Ueda-san. I have a number of witness testimonies here that you spent quite a bit of time paying attention to a certain helper who showed up to assist Yamagishi-san with the festival this year. He had begun asking questions of the villagers, something that quickly raised your suspicions. Once you realized the boy's identity, you knew something had to be done. Most likely you worried it would only be a matter of time before he discovered the corpse that you had created, that had been lying hidden in the forest for two weeks."

"I don't know what you mean." Ueda narrowed his eyes. "The first time I laid my eyes on that corpse was the other day, when it was first discovered by that girl from Osaka and this boy here."

"But that's not true!" Conan chirped. Out of the corner of his eye he caught Ran moving from her position, taking up a new one somewhere behind Hidehara, watching him carefully. "After all, you met with Ueda-san when he first arrived in the village, didn't you? You'd managed to catch wind of the fact that Ritsuko-neechan had called a journalist to investigate the strange threats she had been receiving for some time!"

"It's exactly as Conan-kun says." Kogoro nodded his head. "And what worried you the most of all was that she had planned to try and reopen the investigation into her grandfather's untimely death. A death that you and your partner," he began, gaze moving towards Imamura, "Imamura Yoshio, killed in a murder that you arranged to look like a simple accident."

"Nonsense! Where's your proof?" Ueda spat out, his eyes narrowing.

"Witness testimony." Kogoro said simply. "Someone watched you invite the deceased Morioka-san inside of your car and is willing to testify to that fact. As you spoke to him, you most likely realized that he had already started to suspect the true reason why the mayor was so interested in obtaining Fox Mountain as a whole and started to panic. You probably were afraid that he'd realize that you were the one who pushed Yamagishi Taichi to his death, and that his death was in fact, not an accident. With that in mind, you lured him out to that shrine to Grandmother Fox, killed him, and dragged his body off into the forest once it became clear that you couldn't silence him with a bribe."

"You assumed that nobody would find his body in the forest since nobody goes there, but when a certain young man began to ask questions, you panicked once again, and sent out Imamura Yoshio here, as well as the deceased Watanabe Yuuichiro, to collect the body and move it somewhere else." Kogoro explained. "However, it was there that you ran into an unexpected problem."

"Heiji followed you into the forest." Kazuha spoke up, giving Imamura, who she had been standing behind, quite the start. "You caught him following you, and decided that you would take this chance to take care of him before he could dig any deeper. However, that didn't go according to plan when both he and Watanabe-han tumbled off the cliff instead."

"There were still rope marks remaining on Watanabe-san's hands when his body washed up a few days later." Kogoro said, fishing the photographs out from his pocket. "These photographs from his autopsy confirm that much. Most likely he got them from applying a great deal of force to a rope in order to strangle someone."

"Even if you say something like that, you can't prove that I was involved, can you?" Imamura asked, pausing to glower behind him at Kazuha, who was watching him carefully with no small amount of fury.

"It can be proven." Kazuha's expression shifted to one that was rather smug, her hands resting on her hips as she turned her gaze, directing his attention towards the only helper that hadn't chosen to remove their fox mask during the commotion. "Isn't that right, Heiji?"

White teeth stood out against dark skin as his mouth set itself in a broad grin, hands reaching up to remove the fox mask that had concealed his face. Taking a step forward to make sure that the murderous party of four could see his face perfectly well, Heiji was clearly revealing in their reactions, enjoying watching their faces pale as they saw someone they had assumed dead step forward, very much alive.

"There's no better testimony to your involvement than that of the person you tried to kill, isn't that right, Imamura-han?" Kazuha asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. "And as you can see, around his neck are rope marks from what Watanabe-han used to strange him. I'm sure that if they were compared to the rope marks found on Watanabe-han's hands, they'd match up perfectly."

Conan was able to pinpoint the exact moment in which the mayor clearly decided that he was willing to abandon all three of his most trusted men in order to save his own skin. As the man cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself, he shot fearsome glares about Ueda and Imamura alike. "Well, I, for one, am simply appalled to hear all of this! To think that such a thing was going on behind my back this entire time! As the mayor of Seishina, I promise to set everything that has gone wrong here today right once more!"

And taking that as his cue, the grin on his face not once faltering during any of this, Heiji pulled out a small recording device, clicking the playback button for all to hear.

"You're certain that this device will work as planned?" The mayor's voice came out clear as day for all to hear, and the man himself turned pale as he realized what this was. "I can't have any mistakes, Hidehara. This needs to be done so as to not bring any suspicion to us. Watanabe's death has already caused us more than enough trouble."

Clicking a button to stop the playback, Heiji sent the mayor a challenging look, silently asking him if he wanted to have more of the recording played, or if he was going to drop his act, and confess to his crimes already.

It was in that moment that, lacking a better way to put it, all hell broke lose. As if realizing that they had been backed into an inescapable corner, the four men made the almost simultaneous decision to attempt to make a break for it. Their burst of frenzy, however, really only did last a moment, for none of them were fully prepared for those they were faced up against.

As Conan watched the mayor tumble down at his feet, a well placed tranquilizer dart sending him off to dreamland, he heard the distinct sound of the cry that Ran made when using her karate, and watched as Hidehara collapsed to a heap on the ground, a well placed punch to his gut easily overpowering him. Imamura found himself sprawled on the ground, unable to move as Kazuha effortlessly pinned him to the ground. And quickly borrowing the ceremonial staff from Ritsuko, the closest thing that he had on hand that would work, Heiji gave Ueda a solid blow to the stomach, causing the man to sink to his knees, sputtering for breath.

In the single span of a moment, it was all over. The crowd gave way as the police officers who had been gathered to help with the festival's security made the unanimous decision that something had to be done- and promptly, they pulled out their handcuffs, locking the iron bracelets around the four, their own police chief included.

In the aftermath, as the four were hauled away by the police, Ritsuko drew the attention of the crowd back to herself, gracefully apologizing for the commotion, and announcing that the last day of the festival would continue as planned. As she hefted her staff, which she had taken back from Heiji, into the air, the distinct whine of fireworks could be heard overhead, a fireflower blossoming in the sky shortly afterwards.

All was well that ended well.

* * *

In spite of things being calm for the first time since they had arrived here, Kazuha found herself unable to sleep that night. Her eyes flickering open as she finally decided to, for the moment, give up on the notion of catching some shut eye, she slowly pushed herself up in to a sitting position, looking at the room around her.

Ran was already fast asleep next to her, and so Kazuha took great care not to wake her friend up as she got to her feet. Grabbing her jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders, she carefully left the room, stepping out onto the porch that wrapped around the house. She shivered a little as her feet touched the cold floorboards, and drew her jacket closer around her, the fall air threatening to give way to winter sooner rather than later.

 _What are ya doin' up, Kazuha? Considerin' the trip ya've got ahead of ya, ya should be fast asleep by now._

Heiji's voice floated into her head, and she instinctively looked around, searching for where it was coming from. Catching his form out of the corner of her eye at first, it took a moment for it to completely come into focus. A smile appeared on her face as it did, and she took careful steps in his direction, looking up at her childhood friend. Neither the brown fox nor the false human form was before her, but rather the almost ephemeral spirit-like form, the very edges of his black and red kimono trailing out like smoke.

"I couldn't sleep." Kazuha said simply, folding her hands behind her, standing next to him. He slowly lowered himself to the ground, his bare feet touching yet not touching the porch below him. "Even though everything's over now, I can't help but still feel a little wired up. I can't really explain it. What about you, Heiji? It's not like you don't still need sleep."

 _I was just thinkin' about things._ Heiji replied, blue eyes glancing in her direction, his irrepressible grin surfacing on his face. _Like what I'm goin' ta do from now on, fer example. I still haven't figured out a damn thing to tell my folks, fer one. There's no way I can keep somethin' like this from 'em, unless I decide to pull a disappearin' act like Kudo._

"Just start chatting away in their heads, they'll believe you real quick." Kazuha advised him, flashing him a smile of her own. She didn't really question his quip about Kudo too much- she already knew from Ran that he'd more or less gone to the ground to work on some kind of complicated case, and assumed that was what Heiji was referring to. "Well, whatever you decide, Heiji, I'll stand by it. And of course, you can count on me to help you find a way to return to normal! I don't think you want to live your life forever as a fox spirit, right?"

 _It definitely puts a dent in my future plans, yeah._ Scratching his head, Heiji frowned a little, briefly wondering exactly how much longer he'd be like this. If they find some way to return him completely to normal soon, that would be great, but somehow he doubted it. Before they even thought about returning him to human form, they'd have to find someone to fix his throat, he thought, his hand straying towards it. _Well, somehow it'll all work out._

"Does it hurt?" Kazuha asked, not missing the way he touched his throat. The wounds around his neck had been firmly connected to his spirit form, and it was unlikely that they'd heal on their own, she knew that much already.

 _Only if I actually try an' say anythin'._ Heiji mentally grumbled, folding his arms in front of his chest. It burned whenever he tried to speak, seemingly with no regard to what form he was in. For someone as naturally chatty as Heiji was, it was almost like torture. _Never before have I been more grateful that ya know sign language the same as me, Kazuha._

"Well, I just picked it up when you did because it seemed interesting. I'm not quite as good at is as you are, though." Kazuha confessed. Heiji knew she was being rather modest, seeing as she was about the only one who could even keep up with his sometimes rapid fire signing in the first place. "Don't tell me you still plan on accepting requests in your condition, Heiji?"

 _Idiot, of course I am. Whatever I might be doesn't change the fact that I'm a detective. If there's someone out there who needs my help, I can't exactly say no._ There was a pause then, as a noiseless sigh escaped from his lips. _That said, I should probably work on extendin' the time I can spend in human form. I might end up draggin' ya around with me more as an interpreter._

"I don't have any problems with that." Kazuha said simply. It took all of his effort to maintain that human form, so he couldn't communicate telepathically while using it- they had already discovered that much. She knew it frustrated Heiji to no end, not being able to speak normally. The faster they found someone to restore his throat, the better "Well, do give me some fair warning ahead of time, though."

 _Will do._ Heiji flashed her a quick grin. _But I have ta say, Kazuha, you've been takin' this pretty easy right from the start. I thought ya'd believe in me, but I didn't expect ya to actually figure it out just from lookin' at me. Or well. The fox me. Small me._ Scratching the back of his head, a confused expression crossed his face. _As much as that form's already become second nature ta me, it's still strange ta think about_ _ **as**_ _me. I can't really put it into words._

"I think you're cute." Almost instantly, Kazuha regretted what she said, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink. "I-I mean, when you're a fox! You're cute when you're a fox!"

 _Y-yeah, r-right._ Feeling his own cheeks heat up against his expectations, Heiji did everything in his power to keep his own thoughts from floating over towards Kazuha- about how cute she looked herself when she was slightly flustered like that. As much as his dying thoughts had been in part about Kazuha, he couldn't quite bring himself to confess to her when he was in a state like this.

Once he went back to normal, he would do it. Nearly dying had been enough to send him a message loud and clear that it wasn't something that could wait.

 _Thanks, Kazuha._ Heiji couldn't help but chance another look over towards his childhood friend as he transmitted his thoughts to her. _I'm probably goin' ta be dependin' on ya a lot in the near future, so I want ta thank ya in advance._

"You don't have to thank me. Of course I'd help you, Heiji." Kazuha told him simply, reaching over to carefully take one of his hands. It was a strange sensation- although she knew full well that she was holding his hand, she couldn't really feel it in her own. There was the faintest of hums against her skin, giving her the impression that there was something there and yet not there, all at once. While she missed that reassuring warmth of his hand, it wasn't necessarily a bad sensation in and of itself. "Honestly, what do you think friends are for?"

Although he couldn't generally hear the thoughts of others, Kazuha's thoughts rang out loud and clear to Heiji, so intense were her feelings in this instance. His expression softened somewhat, as he tightened his grip on her hand, barely feeling the sensation of Kazuha's touch in his own, as if the two of them were separated by a barrier he couldn't cross like this.

He could hear it, loud and clear, the thought that Kazuha was hiding in her heart.

 _I'm just glad you're alive, idiot._

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to drive back with us, Kazuha-chan?" Ran turned slightly on her heel, glancing back at her friend. "It really would be no problem for us."

"No, no, it's fine." Kazuha flashed Ran a smile, waving a hand at her. "The doctor said that Heiji needed a little more time to rest, after all." She lied. "So I'll go back with him when he's feeling at his best."

"Well, if you say so." Though she frowned, Ran didn't exactly want to push her friend, as disappointed as she was that she couldn't extend their time together any longer. It was always hard to say when she'd see Kazuha again, after all. "Then, take care of yourself, Kazuha-chan. Ah, and Hei-chan here as well." Smiling a little, she reached out towards the fox that had once more draped itself around Kazuha's shoulders, scratching lightly underneath his chin. His ears twitched in response to this, before he shifted his head away from her hand.

"He really seems to like you." Ran observed.

 _Well, of course he does._ Kazuha thought to herself, hoping that her thoughts didn't show on her face. "He really does. I've already spoken with Ritsuko-san, and I'll probably bring him home with me. Inugami-san's apparently worried about leaving a fox without a voice out in the wild, and since it seems like he was a pet before..." She trailed off, hearing a mental grumble from Heiji loud and clear at being referred to as a 'pet'.

"I see!" Ran smiled. "Then, maybe next time I'm in Osaka, I'll see you both."

"I'll look forward to that, Ran-chan." Kazuha nodded her head, wondering exactly how everything would play out once they returned home. She'd been able to talk Heiji into telling his mother the truth, at least, but the matter of his father was apparently more up in the air. It appeared that Heiji was more worried about his reaction to learning that he'd done something that had very nearly gotten him killed while investigating than his reaction to learning his only child had been turned into a fox.

"Then, have a safe trip back!" Kazuha said. "Conan-kun and Uncle, you two as well!" She called out, earning her a wave from Conan and a slight look from Kogoro.

"We will! You as well, Kazuha-chan!" Flashing her friend a smile, Ran hurried down the last few steps of the shrine, sliding into the back seat of her father's rental car. Turning around and waving at her as they drove away, Kazuha returned the action in kind. Once they were out of sight, she let out a slight sigh, glancing down towards the brown fox draped around her shoulders. "Then, should we get ready to leave as well, _Hei-chan_ ~?"

Heiji's tail twitched in slight annoyance, shooting his childhood friend the dirtiest look possible. _Don't call me that, Kazuha._

"Why not? I think it suits your current state perfectly!" Spinning around on her heel, Kazuha took the shrine steps two at a time, quickly making her way back up them. "Besides, you don't get mad when Otaki-han calls you that."

 _Otaki-han is Otaki-han._ Carefully getting to his feet as Kazuha hit the top step, he gracefully leapt down from her shoulders, heading on ahead of her. _Give me a few minutes, an' we can get ready ta leave. We should probably make it back to the station where I rented the bike in under two hours._

"I'll go get my things, then." Kazuha told him, heading back into the room she had shared with Ran all this time. Grabbing her pack, she headed back down the shrine's steps again, making sure that her bag was secure on her shoulders. Taking in one last deep breath of clean mountain air, she felt the burning itch to return to her beloved hometown of Osaka rising up inside of her.

And jumped slightly when she felt a light tap on her shoulder, whirling around to glower at Heiji as the Osakan detective flashed her a wide grin, apparently pleased as punch at having surprised her. Pausing to shove his luggage into the motorcycle's storage, he wordlessly tossed Kazuha a helmet, before quickly flashing her a few signs.

'Ready ta go?'

"Yeah, let's go." Nodding her head, Kazuha waited for Heiji to situate himself on the motorcycle, before she slid in behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She flushed a little at the action in spite of herself, having grown more and more aware of her own feelings for him over the past few months. Nevertheless, she found it a comfortable place to be. "Maybe I should learn how to drive a motorcycle too."

Glancing briefly back at her, Heiji's grin quickly resurfaced, taking his hands of the handlebars to sign again. 'I'd definitely teach ya if ya asked'.

"Then, maybe I'll take you up on that offer." Kazuha said. "Come on, let's go. We've got a time table to keep, after all."

* * *

The first leg of the return trip had gone over rather smoothly. They had been able to make it back to the train station that Heiji had rented the motorcycle from in the first place, with half an hour to spare at that. They'd chosen to spend that extra half hour grabbing a quick bite to eat at a fast food place, taking in an early lunch.

The second part, of course, was where it had gotten a bit tricky. The first complication was of course, the fact that Kazuha was now stuck carrying two bags- her own, and Heiji's. But the biggest complication by far was how exactly they were going to go about sneaking a fox onto a train. With not many options, Kazuha had ducked into a travel store and bought herself a third bag- one which she unceremoniously crammed her childhood friend turned fox into. He'd grumbled about it sure enough, but it allowed them to board the train without any suspicions.

Several transfers later, they had finally made it back to Osaka. The last leg of the trip had been the most perilous, as they had found themselves smack in the middle of rush hour. Kazuha and her three bags, one of which Heiji was snuggled within, had been crushed up against a mass of bodies, which left them both gasping for breath once they managed to escape, each finally taking in a deep breath of that familiar Osaka air.

"Heiji, get off me. I've been lugging you around this whole time, my arms are tired." Kazuha grumbled, shaking the fox off of her shoulders, who landed on his feet with a small glower. "Shut up, you can walk perfectly fine on your own dang feet, idiot."

"Carry your own bag too." Kazuha mumbled, dropping it on the ground in front of him. With an irritated twitch of his tail, Heiji picked up the straps in his teeth, shooting a look back up towards Kazuha. "I said I'd help you, not that I'd be your beast of burden. Big difference. You're perfectly capable of carrying it yourself, see?"

 _Fine. People will think it's weird though._

"People will think seeing a fox wandering around in the middle of the city is weird anyways, whether or not it's carrying a bag in it's mouth." Kazuha pointed out, shifting her own pack a little on her shoulders. "Let's go. At this time of day, only your mother should be home, so that'll work out just fine."

 _Alright already, don't rush me, idiot._ Heiji grumbled, following along behind Kazuha. Usually when they walked anywhere together, it was always her trailing slightly along behind him- but the situation was currently reversed, it seemed. He couldn't help but notice how different the hometown he'd lived in since childhood was when he was viewing it from this vantage point. In a way, the prospect of being able to view his beloved Osaka through entirely new eyes was almost kind of exciting to him.

He couldn't help but catch the whispers, mostly of amusement and excitement, as people began to pay attention the spectacle of what appeared to be a fox carrying it's own bag through the Osaka streets. Grumbling internally as he realized a few of them were snapping photographs without his consent, the fur on his back bristled up as he scurried to close the gap between him and Kazuha.

By the time they had made it onto the street where he lived, things were much quieter. The pair came to a stop in front of the Hattori home, and Heiji dropped his bag, which Kazuha wordlessly scooped up in her arms. Glancing down a him, she briefly locked eyes with him. "You ready for this, Heiji? You know I've got your back here."

 _Might as well get it over with._ Heiji replied simply, shoving open the gate with one of his paws. Heading on inside, Kazuha carefully followed behind him, opening up the door that she already knew was unlocked at this time of day, especially since Shizuka was expecting them to come home sometime that afternoon.

"Auntie Shizuka!" Kazuha called out, carefully taking off her shoes and leaving them in the entrance way. "We're back!"

"Oh, Kazuha-chan!" Shizuka's voice called out from further inside the house, and before long, the woman herself came into view, a broad smile on her face. "Welcome back!" She had clearly expected to see her son accompanying her though, so the look of confusion that manifested itself was rather understandable. "But where's Heiji? Is he running behind you?"

"No, he's here." Kazuha said frankly, setting down his bag for the moment.

"Where?" Shizuka asked, pursing her lips slightly. It wasn't like Kazuha to go along with one of Heiji's pranks, not since grade school at least.

"Right here." Leaning down, Kazuha scooped up the fox Heiji in her arms, a bright smile on her face as he held him forward. "See?"

"Kazuha-chan, that's not-" Shizuka trailed off, her eyes narrowing as she leaned down, peering closer into the eyes of the brown fox that Kazuha had presented to her. As a rather familiar grin worked it's way onto the canine's features, Shizuka had to do a double take, almost not believing it. As the saying went, a mother knew her son anywhere, so there was no mistaking those blue eyes and that wide grin on the fox's face. But still...

"...Heiji? Is that really you?"

 _It's me, it's me._ Heiji couldn't help but grin all the wider at his mother's audible surprise upon hearing his voice in her head. As Kazuha carefully set him back down again, he looked up at his mother. _It's a really long story, so ya might wanna find some place ya can sit down._

"Yes, that's probably a good idea." Shizuka nodded slowly, turning slightly on her heel as she gave the both of them a smile. "Let's retire to the living room, shall we? I'll get us all some tea."


	6. Afterschool Horror

AN: And here's the sixth chapter! To the anon in the reviews from last chapter, to answer your question, Heiji finding a way to return to being fully human is basically the overarching plot of the entire fic- so by the time it happens, the story will already be pretty much over. But I've got several arcs planned before that!

Anyways, thanks for reading!

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter Six**

 **Afterschool Horror**

* * *

One did not get to be the highest ranking member of a prefectural police force by being a fool, and Hattori Heizo was no fool. It did not take him even the slightest bit of time to realize that his son was trying to pull the wool over his eyes about something important- and that his own wife and Heiji's childhood friend were in on it as well.

He knew the exact point when it had started as well- it was hard to miss, after all. The trouble all began upon his son's return from a small village in Hokkaido, a mountain village by the name of Seishina. He'd gone there to investigate a case based upon a request he received, and while there, he had all but vanished into thin air. Worried, his childhood friend had recruited the aid of a private detective she knew, and had gone out to the village herself in search for him. In the end, they had managed to find him and had brought him home with no further problems.

And that was where the trouble began.

Heizo had been briefed of course, on Heiji's injury before he'd even returned home. Kazuha had detailed it to them in a phone call, and he'd honestly had half a mind then and there to head to that village himself and give his son a stern talking to for putting himself in such grave danger. As it was, he had settled for giving his voiceless son a through lecture when he returned back home, refusing to let him leave the kitchen table until he'd said everything that was on his mind. Though he knew full well that his son was currently unable to speak, even he had to admit that dealing with an utterly silent Heiji was quite the strange thing. His normally talkative son had finally been silenced, and quite honestly, Heizo didn't really care for it- and he knew Heiji felt the same way as well.

If it had only been that, then it wouldn't be a problem. It was Shizuka who had suddenly decided that this condition meant that they should pull Heiji from school, declaring that she had decided to homeschool him until he recovered from his injuries. Heizo had attempted to protest this decision, but she would have none of it, and he knew better than to oppose his wife when she had made up her mind about something. He supposed it wasn't entirely unreasonable- as far as he knew, Heiji could only currently communicate through the written word and through sign language, the latter of which was something only Kazuha knew outside of the Hattori family itself.

The real problem, Heizo decided, was his son's newfound elusive nature. He almost never seemed to be around when he was home anymore, at least not anywhere Heizo could find him. Shizuka and Kazuha were quick to make excuses for him, claiming he was either here or there, or that he'd just missed him. Seeing Heiji in person these days had become increasingly rare. In fact, in the past two weeks, Heizo could almost count on one hand the number of times he had actually seen his son. He couldn't help but notice that there was something different about the way he carried himself during the times when he did get to see Heiji, although he couldn't quite put his finger on what was giving him that impression.

It was as if the very air around him had changed.

Given the way that Kazuha and Shizuka seemed to speak in hushed whispers when they thought he wasn't around, he was almost certain that they were hiding something from him together with Heiji. He just didn't know exactly what, or why- and confronting Shizuka about it had produced no results, as she hadn't even been the slightest bit fazed by his questioning. Kazuha kept dodging him whenever she came to visit, so he hadn't really been able to ask her about it either.

And of course, his son was so often nowhere to be found that Heizo essentially had no chance of asking him. He was the weakest link, of course- even when he was no longer able to speak, his son was still by and large, the _worst_ liar Heizo had ever seen, to a point where Heizo sometimes wondered where he had picked that trait up from in the first place. Without the support of his mother and Kazuha, he'd never be able to keep a secret from him, he knew that much.

That morning was no different. When Heizo had arrived for breakfast, Shizuka had informed him that Heiji had already eaten his own, and had already returned back to his room. When Heizo attempted to get up from the table to check if this was actually true, Shizuka had sent him a sharp look, the kind that not even he dared to defy, and found himself sitting back down. He'd check on his son right after breakfast, he decided.

"Hei-chan, would you like seconds?"

That was the other strange thing, Heizo thought, his gaze falling on the brown fox that had completely made itself at home by the table, licking it's lips clean of the fish that Shizuka had given it. He watched as his wife gracefully made her way over towards it, reaching down and taking the plate, pausing for a moment to lightly rub's the animal's head, something which it quickly weaseled out of, in spite of it's body language indicating that this action pleased him.

As soon as the fox noticed that Heizo was looking at him, it flinched, briefly freezing up underneath his intense gaze. Glancing back and forth, it's tail twitched, ears flattening against it's head, for all the world looking as if he were a guilty culprit. Eventually Shizuka scolded Heizo lightly, and he broke his gaze away from it, turning back to his breakfast once more.

By far the strangest change that had come to the Hattori household recently was the addition of a new member. Although Shizuka told him this brown fox, which had been dubbed 'Hei-chan' by the girl in question (why she'd named the animal after his son, he'd never understand), belonged to Kazuha, it seemed to have settled down here, as opposed to living with Kazuha in her own home. She had taken it home with her from Seishina, citing the fact that it had been a former pet that had been abandoned, and that she couldn't just leave it alone given the way that it clung to her.

It too, had a damaged throat and couldn't make any noise. The coincidence struck Heizo as odd, but nothing more than that.

At least, that would be what he would normally think, were it not for the fact that this fox reminded him _far_ too much of his own son. And just like his son, it too, seemed to be avoiding him, oftentimes getting up and leaving the room should Heizo enter it with nobody else in tow. The way Shizuka doted on the animal struck him as being very similar to the way she doted on her own son. When he'd asked her about it, she just told him with a slight laugh that the fox reminded her of Heiji as well, so she just couldn't help it.

"You really shouldn't glare at him so, Heizo." Shizuka scolded him, finally settling down to eat her own breakfast. "You should realize by now that he doesn't really like it."

"I'm still not even sure why he's here." Heizo muttered. "He's Kazuha's pet, isn't he?" Out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but notice the way the fox twitched at the word 'pet'. There were times when it almost seemed to understand human speech, he certainly hadn't failed to notice _that_.

"Our house has a bigger yard than Kazuha's place." Shizuka said simply. "It's a better environment for him. He's not a bother, is he?"

"No." Heizo admitted after a moment. All in all, the fox was rather well behaved, it wasn't quite as if he minded having it around. If anything it almost felt strangely as if he'd always been there, something that stuck the man as rather odd. "You have had it checked over by a vet, I'm assuming though." The face that earned him from the animal in question was quite a sight to behold.

"Yes of course, don't worry dear." Shizuka said simply, the lie rolling off her tongue with ease. Of course she hadn't brought her own son to a vet. Even if they didn't detect anything abnormal about the fox, she wasn't exactly going to subject poor Heiji to the humiliation of being manhandled by someone who was convinced he was a simple animal. He'd already been through enough at this point.

They had mutually decided that for the moment, they would attempt to conceal the truth from Heizo for as long as possible. After all, Shizuka knew that her husband was a true skeptic- it was where Heiji had gotten such a thing from in the first place. If he managed to figure it out on his own, which Shizuka imagined he would after awhile, however skeptical he might be, then that would be fine. If not, they wouldn't mention it to him, and would keep it from him long after Heiji found a way to return to normal.

Shizuka had listened to the story that Heiji and Kazuha had strung together for her with great interest- and more than a little distress. To think that her son had come so close to actually dying- she could only thank her lucky stars that this hadn't turned out to be the case. She did have to admit, getting used to this state of affairs was an entirely different matter than just understanding it- she almost wished she could accept it as easily as Heiji seemed to be. He moved about in his new form as if he had been born into it, without a hint of awkwardness or unfamiliarly. Perhaps that was part of the magic, she thought.

 _Mom, I'm goin' ta meet up with Kazuha. Take care of the old man fer me, okay?_ As her son's voice floated into her head, Shizuka made no outwardly reaction. His telepathy was a one way trick, after all, it wasn't as if she could send thoughts back to him. Watching out of the corner of her eye as Heiji got up and left the room, she smiled at Heizo.

"Well, it's Sunday, dear. Why don't you relax a little? You've been acting awfully tense for these past two weeks." Shizuka pointed out to him, a look of concern crossing her face. "It's not good for your health, especially at your age."

"And what do you think the reason for my stress is?" Heizo couldn't help but ask, opening up one eye. As he did so, Shizuka couldn't help but wonder how he'd react to the running theory that the fox blood that Heiji had apparently already been carrying in him must have come from _his_ side of the family.

"You shouldn't worry so much about Heiji, dear." Shizuka said lightly. "He's just fine, even with his injury. He's just grumpy because he can't talk, you know how he is."

"Mm." Frowning, Heizo set down his rice bowl, getting up from the table. His son had practically been talking non-stop ever since he learned his first word- sometimes in the back of his mind he could still hear the chorus of a far younger Heiji's all purpose 'no'. "I think I'll go ahead and check on him, Shizuka. Even if he's in a bad mood because of his throat, he should still try and be a little more sociable."

Shizuka couldn't help but shake her head a little at the idea of her husband, of all people, calling Heiji unsociable. "He might have already left to meet up with Kazuha. You really ought to let him be."

Just as she said that, a knock on the wall of the dining room drew both of their attention towards the sound. Trying to get their attention the only way he knew how when he couldn't speak, a far more human Heiji quirked a brow at his father, apparently not quite pleased at the way he was continuing to pry into things like this. Well, he'd have been lying if he said he wasn't expecting this to happen. Just as his old man knew how his son worked, he knew full well how his father worked, more or less.

"Oh, Heiji, we were just talking about you." Shizuka spoke up, pursing her lips a little. The fact that her son had chosen to appear in human form must have meant that he felt like his father was getting a little bit too insistent, and had decided to run the risk of showing up. "Are you going out to meet with Kazuha?"

Nodding his head, Heiji flashed her a wide grin, quickly making quite a number of signs, so much so that Shizuka found it a little hard to catch up. 'Yeah, I'm goin' ta meet up with her at her clubroom after mornin' practice ends. She said there was somethin' one of her underclassmen wanted ta talk ta me about.'

"Don't get in over your head with anything again, boy." Heizo noted, one eye opening to look over towards his son. "Remember where that landed you not even three weeks ago."

Heiji didn't even need words to get his frustration across, fighting a powerful urge to roll his eyes. He had expected this sort of behavior from his father, but having to actually deal with it was another thing entirely. Perhaps it was a blessing that he saw him so infrequently, because otherwise he was almost certain that the two of them would be at each other's throats at all times. As it was, he shot his father a look, quickly signing out his annoyance.

'It's just somethin' they want me ta help them with, it ain't like I'm rushin' into a serious case or anythin'.' Internally he grumbled to himself, knowing that his father had put out strict orders amongst his subordinates to not allow his son access to crime scenes for the time being, and it was already chafing at him. It had been a good two weeks since he'd been able to put his brain to good use to solve a mystery, and he felt as if he were about to go mad. At this point he was willing to take whatever he could get, even if it was just investigating strange noises heard in the school library late at night.

"Well, be careful anyways, Heiji. We won't hold you up any longer here." Shizuka sent him a smile, motioning with her head that he really ought to get going. Giving his mother a quick grin, Heiji took that as his cue to duck out the door before his father could try and stop him. Switching between forms when he was sure nobody was looking, the brown fox made it's way towards Kaihou High School, keeping his pace quick to avoid the curious onlookers.

As he made his way through the city in which he'd grown up in, Heiji couldn't help but notice how much the landscape seemed to have changed for him. It wasn't simply because of his change in perspective, although that was a contributing factor. Rather, it was as if the world had suddenly opened up to him, his eyes now open to things he couldn't see before, but had likely always been around him. It had been the same way in Seishina, but in the unfamiliar village, it really hadn't struck him as much as it did here.

The ghosts were what caught his interest the most. He quickly took notice of the fact that there appeared to be more than one type. The most common didn't appear to be true ghosts in the fullest sense of the word, but rather echoes- wispy figures following the same set path day in and day out, repeating their final day over and over again. He didn't think they had any form of self-awareness, but as he'd quickly learned, passing through one was rather unpleasant- it sent a bolt of memory through him that was not his own, throwing him out of his own time and place. Kazuha had never seemed to be bothered by them, even if one passed right through her- so he assumed it was something that one needed to be aware of in the first place to be effected by.

The second type seemed to be aware of their surroundings, if not always aware of the fact that they were dead. They attempted to interact with the what was around them, and though some of them played pranks and tricks, most of them were fairly harmless. It wasn't all that unusual to see this type following behind someone, as if watching over them. Family, friends, loved ones, even a pet or two tended to linger around people.

The third type made his skin crawl and he did everything in his power to ensure that they didn't take notice of him. Heiji could almost feel the negative energy rolling off them in waves- bitter, twisted, angry. These spirits seemed to come in two varieties of their own- those that appeared chained to a specific place, and those who haunted a person, plaguing them with misfortunes and speaking curses under their breaths. As much as he didn't want to draw their attention, they nevertheless caught his interest- whenever he saw one, he made a quick mental note of where, when, and who, if anyone, they were with.

If he didn't miss his guess, probably more than half of them were murder victims. He definitely recognized a few of their faces from his father's case files, at the very least. Hurrying quickly past a spot that was as black as the night even in the bright sunlight, he didn't spare a glance back towards the raving ghost woman that stood there, screaming curses out at someone who could not hear them. That one, he thought, he would try and find a name to go with the face.

Arriving at Kaihou in due time, Heiji found a place to switch between forms once more, taking a moment to adapt to the sudden shift in perspective. Placing a hand on his head and closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath, steadying himself, brain adjusting to moving on two legs again as opposed to four. He didn't really dwell on how naturally he'd adapted to having the body of an animal, figuring that if he spent too much time thinking about it, it might only cause him problems in the long run.

Peeking his head into the aikido club room, Heiji glanced around, searching for signs of Kazuha. She said she was going to be here with her underclassman- but it didn't appear that they were quite done with practice yet. Turning to head towards the gym, he paused, something catching his eye. Looking up towards the roof of the school, he caught an image of a shimmering form. The female figure paced back and forth on top of the school roof, the dark blue of her school uniform standing out against the bright sky. For a moment, he thought someone was up there- before he squinted, and realized that he could see right through her.

"What are you looking at, Heiji?"

Slightly startled by Kazuha's question, Heiji turned to look at her, flashing the girl a quick smile. She was still wearing her practice clothes, a towel wrapped around her neck- and behind her was most likely the underclassman that she had wanted him to speak to. She looked a bit mousy, but judging from the fact that she was a member of the aikido club, he doubted that was the case.

Opening his mouth to answer her question, he quickly shut it again, grumbling internally as he realized he couldn't- not out loud, at least. Glancing back up towards the roof, he noticed that the figure was gone, and giving his shoulders a slight shrug, he turned back towards Kazuha.

'It's nothin', nothin'.' Heiji signed at her, his grin growing. 'Looks like I came at the right time, though. This the girl ya wanted me ta talk to?'

"Yes, that's right." Nodding her head, Kazuha glanced behind her. "This is Mitsuharu Momoko. She's a first year here, and also a member of the library committee."

"I-It's a pleasure to meet you." The girl almost seemed to bite her tongue as she spoke up, a slight waver in her voice that made Heiji think his initial 'mousy' impression of her hadn't actually been that far off from the truth. "I'm sorry for bothering you like this, Hattori-senpai. But Toyama-senpai thinks that you might be able to help."

Flickering a brief gaze towards Kazuha, a silent question asked between them to which she shook her head. Letting out a noiseless sigh, Heiji reached into his jacket, pulling out a pad of paper, quickly scribbling something down on it. Holding it up to show the girl, he made sure to put it where she could read it.

 **'What's the problem?'**

Though the girl tilted her head slightly at the written message, a look of understanding quickly flashed through her eyes. It appeared that the rumors that he couldn't speak had already spread through the school. Well, that worked out just fine for him, it meant not having to explain it over and over again.

"Um, like Toyama-senpai said, I'm a member of the library committee." Momoko began, brushing a stray strand out of her face. "Recently I've been staying late after school every night. I offered to sort the library's inventory and determine what books we should keep and which ones we should give away." Taking in and letting out a deep breath, Heiji watched as some of her nervousness slipped away from her. "And every night, at exactly ten, I've heard the same loud thud outside the library window. It always sounds like something has fallen from the roof, but whenever I go to check it out, there's never anything there."

 **'Have ya checked the roof too?'** Heiji scribbled down, frowning a little. That definitely seemed strange. Was someone doing something at the school when they thought everyone had already gone home for the day? It wouldn't have been the first time that strange sounds in the middle of the night had lead to something far more sinister, so it piqued his interest right away.

"Yes." Nodding her head, Momoko frowned a little. "But there's never anything there either. Come to think of it, it's a little strange that it's always unlocked. Ah, and also, right before the thud, there's a loud clang, as if something is hitting something metal."

"See, Heiji?" Kazuha turned to him, a slight frown on her features. "It's definitely suspicious, right?"

Nodding his head, Heiji's brows furrowed together in thought. If the events had occurred earlier on in the day, when there would still be more people lingering around the school he could chalk it up to a simple prank- but from the sound of it, nobody else was around when Momoko was at the library. His instincts told him it was more than worth looking into.

Giving Momoko a quick smile, Heiji scribbled down one more thing on his notepad. **'I'll look into it fer ya. Do ya think ya could get us the key to the library?'**

"Yes! I can!" Nodding her head, a look of relief crossed Momoko's face, as if she had been worried that she might not have been taken seriously. She was probably worried about bothering him with a problem this small, considering his reputation and considering her personality. Well, it perked his interest, and it wasn't like he had anything else to do at the moment, other than search for some way to return to being human, and some way to fix his blasted throat already.

Looking over towards Kazuha, he tucked his pad of paper away, quickly directing some signs at her. 'Wanna check it out with me tonight, Kazuha? I might need yer help.'

"Sure!" Kazuha nodded her head, sparing a smile back towards the girl behind her. "See? I told you Heiji would listen to you. Then, Heiji," she began, looking back at him. "I'm going to get changed. Do you have time still?"

As Heiji nodded his head, quickly understanding the real meaning of her question, Kazuha's smile lit up. "Then, in that case, let's stop and get something to eat on the way home." After all, it was rare these days when she could hang out with her childhood friend like this, she needed to savor every chance she got. "We can discuss our plan of action while we're at it."

* * *

 _Is there any reason why yer clingin' ta me so much, Kazuha?_ With an annoyed twitch of his tail, Heiji glanced up at his childhood friend, who was all but holding him in a death grip. They had successfully made it into the school without any problems, but not long after they'd arrived, she'd all but scooped up the brown fox and pulled him close to her chest.

"It's just- school feels completely different when it's night." Kazuha told him, a small frown on her face. "It almost feels like something might jump out at you if you're not careful."

 _This isn't some kinda bad horror movie, Kazuha. Nothing's gonna happen._ Dissolving into smoke, Heiji's body reformed in front of Kazuha, switching between forms once more, bare feet touching the ground as he turned to look back at her, folding his arms in front of his chest. _Honestly, ya've always been so jumpy about these things. If I knew it was gonna be this way, I wouldn't have brought ya._

"That's a fine thing for you to say, fox boy." Kazuha said shortly, reaching up to flick him on his forehead. It was a strange sensation as she made contact with Heiji's spirit-like form, as if she was at once touching something and nothing. "You're the one who said it yourself, that you've been seeing ghosts everywhere ever since you turned into this. There could very well be something lurking around the school!"

His thoughts briefly flickering towards the ghost girl he'd seen on the rooftop, Heiji quickly put it out of his mind, shrugging his shoulders. No need to tell Kazuha something like that. _Just because I'm like this now doesn't prove the existence of any of those ridiculous school horror stories, Kazuha. Don't worry about it. 'Sides, if somethin' like that did show up, I'd chase it away fer ya._

Feeling his cheeks heat up a little as he delivered that last line, he instinctively reached out, touching the fox mask worn askew on the side of his head, and moved it into place so that it covered his face- as well as his crimson cheeks. If something that really existed, there was no way he'd let it do anything to hurt Kazuha, of course. But actually admitting that was more embarrassing than he had expected.

"Heiji, were you blushing?" Kazuha asked, tilting her head slightly to one side.

 _Idiot! Of course I'm not!_ Grateful that his face was completely hidden underneath the mask, Heiji turned his head away from her. _It would just be trouble if someone was able ta see me like this, that's all!_

"But there's no one here but us. Ah, and the school security guard, I guess. But I doubt he could see you in the first place, Heiji." Kazuha paused, frowning a little. "Come to think of it, I wonder if he's heard anything suspicious."

 _Yeah, I was plannin' on askin' him when I got the chance._ Nodding his head, Heiji motioned towards Kazuha for him to follow him. Walking in this form felt slightly strange- he had no concrete concept of his feet touching the ground, after all. _Well, it's also possible that he's the one behind the strange noises himself._

"That's true." Frowning a little, Kazuha fell into step beside him, gaze drifting towards him. "Hey, Heiji."

The slight way he turned his head was the only way she knew he was looking at her from underneath the mask. _What's up?_

"If for some reason you can't find a way to turn back... what do you plan on doing?" Kazuha asked, folding her hands behind her back, peering up at him.

 _I'm tryin' not ta think about._ Grumbling a little, Heiji scratched the back of his head, a noiseless sigh escaping from his lips. _I'm glad ta be alive, but I'd rather not live like this forever. The faster I can get back ta normal, the better. You probably feel the same way, right? It's weird havin' me like this, ain't it?_

"It's a little weird." Kazuha admitted, a slightly sheepish grin on her face. "It feels almost like you got spirited away and turned into some kind of youkai."

 _Well, that's probably more or less close ta what actually happened._ Shifting his mask a little so that she could see his joking grin, he nudged her a little in the shoulder. _Well? Are ya scared of me, Kazuha?_

"Idiot! Like I could ever possibly be scared of you!" Kazuha said with a snort, elbowing him right back. "Ah, although if I had to be honest, I don't really like this feeling." In order to illustrate what she meant, she reached over to take his arm, her brows knitting together as her mind almost refused to process that she had locked hers with his.

 _Ah, that. I know exactly what ya mean._ Nodding his head, Heiji slipped out of her grasp, glancing back at her. _Well, don't worry 'bout it too much, Kazuha! I'll figure this whole thing out before long! After all, who do ya think I am?_

"The great youkai detective of the west?" Kazuha said, unable to keep a sly smile off of her face. It only grew as Heiji grumbled at her, shifting his mask so that it was all the way back over his face again, not wanting to let her see the annoyance that her words spread across his face.

 _Shut up, idiot. Let's just get ta work._

Heading into the darkened library, the pair looked around. Glancing down at her watch, Kazuha noted that it was about five minutes until ten, the time when her underclassman had said that she kept hearing the strange noise. Telling Heiji as much, he nodded his head, making his way over towards the windows- by floating, Kazuha dimly noted, wondering if he was even aware of it.

If his father saw something like this, she could only wonder what kind of expression he'd make. Although according to Heiji, his father didn't seem to be able to see him in this form- he'd actually tested it out himself. His mother only seemed to be able to just barely make it out, something which caused Kazuha to wonder if maybe she had some kind of strong sixth sense after all- or if perhaps it was just her strong feelings for Heiji. She didn't really question why Conan could see him- children always were more in tune with that sort of thing, after all.

Kazuha's gaze, inevitably, drifted down towards Heiji's tail, noticing with a slight snort that it almost seemed to be wagging in anticipation. It had always been transparently easy to tell what Heiji was thinking- but it was even easier with that thing around. When he looked back her way, she quickly reassured him that it was nothing, and hurried by his side. It was only as she was looking at the ground beneath them that a thought popped in her head, and she made a slight face, wondering how they had both managed to overlook something so basic.

"Say, Heiji," she began, gaze darting over towards him. "Shouldn't one of us be outside, watching the roof as well?"

There was a slight pause then, before Kazuha could practically hear his frustrated sigh in her head. Placing a hand over his masked face, Heiji closed his eyes, unable to believe he'd looked over something so basic. It was part of why he'd asked Kazuha to come along with him in the first place, but it had completely slipped his mind when they'd actually gotten here!

 _Yeah, yer right. I'll go. Ordinary people won't be able ta see me like this anyways. You stay here._ Heiji sent to her. Before she could question how he planned to get outside in under three minutes when they were on the second floor, he answered the question for her, all but slipping through the very wall of the library. She watched, speechless, as her childhood friend floated down towards the ground below, turning to wave at her once he'd made it safely down.

He hadn't even given it a second thought, Kazuha thought to herself, marveling at how fast Heiji was when it came to adjusting to unexpected changes. Come to think of it, he'd always been that way.

Floating backwards some so that he could get a clear view of the roof, Heiji looked up towards it. He couldn't help but note that the mask on his face didn't seem to obscure his vision any. Whether it was on or off, he appeared to be able to see just fine. Mentally counting down the time in lieu of a watch, he fixed his attention on the roof, waiting for something to happen.

Just before the time changed to ten, Heiji caught sight of something on the roof, his ears perking up right away at the sight of it. From the library window, Kazuha caught this, if nothing else, and braced herself, waiting for something to happen.

There, on the roof, forming like a shimmering mist underneath the moonlight, was a lone figure. Heiji's eyes narrowed as he recognized her as the ghost girl from the roof that morning. But rather than roaming aimlessly about the roof, she seemed to be struggling. Eyes narrowing as he watched what seemed to be a one woman performance of an otherwise two man show, he felt his body tense as he watched her bend unnaturally backwards over the railing.

 _ **Clang!**_

Opening up his mouth in spite of himself, his instincts crying out to save her, in spite of the fact that he already knew she was long since dead, he watched as she slipped over the railing, plummeting to the ground below. For a moment, just before she fell, it almost seemed as if she had locked eyes with him, something which almost sent a shiver down his spine. There was a heavy _thud_ as she hit the ground, and he could make out a startled Kazuha throwing open the library window as this happened. As Heiji moved to close the distance between himself and the mysterious ghost girl, he froze in place, watching as she seemed to dissolve again.

Gaze turning back up towards the roof, his eyes narrowed from underneath his mask, watching as the ghost resumed her pacing, as if nothing had ever happened. Frowning deeply, he made his way back towards Kazuha's side, perching on the window ledge next to her, watching as she seemed to puzzle over what had happened.

"Hey, Heiji." She turned her gaze towards him. "Did you see something?"

 _I did._ Blinking a little, he leaned backwards slightly, glancing back up towards the roof, before he looked towards Kazuha. _Did ya not see anythin'?_

"I thought I saw something flash by the window for a second, but that was all." Kazuha told him frankly. Heiji watched the color drain out of her face as she put two and two together, a shiver running down her spine as she reached out, grabbing hold of the sleeve of his kimono, gripping in insubstantial fabric as best she could. "Hey, Heiji, this wasn't because of a ghost, was it?"

From the way her childhood friend turned his head away from her, his tail dropping and his ears somewhat flattening against his head, she didn't even need him to say anything to know what the answer was. She might have not been as bad with this sort of thing as Ran was, but it still caused her pulse to quicken, her blood turning cold in her veins. "C-can we go home now?"

Shaking his head, Heiji gave her an apologetic look as he shifted his mask again, placing it once more on the side of his head. _There's somethin' that bothers me about this. That ghost girl looked like she was actin' out her death, but from the looks of things, it seems like she didn't jump off that roof out of her own will._ His ears perked up as a thoughtful look came across Kazuha's face, twitching slightly as his curiosity piqued. _What's up? Ya thought of somethin'?_

"No, I was just remembering an old ghost story I heard from one of the senpai in the aikido club back when I was a first year." Folding her arms in front of her, Kazuha tried to recall the details of what they might have been. "I heard that a second year student jumped off the roof, and that she had been haunting the roof ever since."

 _When was this?_

"I'm not sure." Kazuha said, shaking her head. "I don't think my senpai knew either, just that she'd heard the story from her senpai when she was a first year."

 _So at the very least, it's a story that's been around fer awhile._ Pushing himself off the window ledge, he landed on the ground next to Kazuha. _With that in mind, Kazuha, why don't ya check out the records room? If somethin' like that really did happen here, there might be somethin' written down about it somewhere._

"Yeah, I got it." Nodding her head, Kazuha took in a deep breath, steeling herself to get to work. "What will you do, Heiji?"

 _I'm goin' ta the roof. Even if the sounds can be explained by the ghost, it's definitely strange that the door's unlocked. I feel like there's somethin' more here than just a ghost actin' out it's death over an' over again. Did yer ghost story mention anythin' about the ghost girl jumpin' off?_

"Now that you mention it, no." Kazuha frowned. "That is a little odd. Be careful though, Heiji."

 _I will. Don't worry 'bout me, Kazuha!_ Flashing her a quick grin, Heiji made his exit. Kazuha took note of that herself- especially the way that he tried and failed to interact with the door to the library, instead settling for passing through it as if he himself were some kind of ghost as well. It was a thought that sent a shiver through her spine once more, and she quickly decided not to dwell on it.

Making his way up towards the roof, Heiji paused in front of the door. Reaching out to take the handle, he glowered at it as his hand all but passed through it. Trying to focus, he concentrated on the handle in front of him, this time managing to hold on to it. Giving it a light jiggle, he noticed that it was, in fact, unlocked, just as Momoko had claimed. Swinging it open, he stepped through it onto the roof.

Her form shimmering underneath the bright moonlight, the ghost girl didn't fully seem to acknowledge him, even as he approached her. Carefully studying her features, he took notice of her distinctive freckles, and the way her black hair hung down in front of her face, making her eyes hard to see. Waving a hand in front of her, he tried to get some kind of reaction from her.

That was odd. Right before she had fallen off the roof, he was certain that she had briefly locked eyes with him. He had expected her to have some kind of awareness, but it didn't seem as if this was the case. Scratching the back of his head, he wondered what he should do about this. Reaching out with one hand, he briefly hesitated, before he placed it on her shoulder.

Two things struck him almost instantly- the first was the fact that she was somehow far more solid to him than Kazuha was.

The second was a feeling- or rather, several feelings, so overpowering that they nearly overwhelmed his senses, causing him to jerk his hand away. Fear, shame, betrayal, sadness, regret, and hatred all surged through him, and for a moment he felt almost as if he had been jerked out of his own body, before he came back to himself. Taking in ragged breaths, he looked at the ghost girl in front of him, whose expression hadn't changed any in reaction to his touch- but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something.

A flicker of black, almost concealed underneath the darkness of the night sky. In the otherwise placid ghost, there was a hint of something extremely negative. Taking a step back, Heiji took in and let out a deep breath, trying to sort through the feelings he had seemed to absorb from the ghost.

Among the mixed up and twisted feelings that had nearly overtaken him, there had been a single, desperate plea mixed in.

Save me, it said.


	7. Of Ghosts, Cold Cases, and Possession

AN: And here's the seventh chapter! To be honest, I was actually feeling a little demotivated about writing this chapter after the previous update of this story ended up with _no_ reviews even after all this time, but thankfully, the fact that this arc deals with one of my favorite tropes ended up saving things. Some very fun things happening in this chapter! We'll also be going into a deeper explanation of things regarding Heiji that were skimmed over in the previous arc, so look forward to that!

Anyways, uh, please do leave a review, ahaha~

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter Seven**

 **Of Ghosts, Cold Cases, and Possession**

* * *

Getting into the school's record room had been easy enough- the keys to the library that her underclassman had leant her also contained a key to the connected room in question. It was only once Kazuha was inside that she began to quickly realize the main problem- that she had no idea where to even begin looking.

Mentally counting down in her head, she guessed that at the very least, she should start looking at the school records from at least over ten years ago. If the ghost story that she heard was something her upperclassman had been told by their upperclassman, at the very least it'd have to be around that old. Flicking on the lights to the room, Kazuha glanced around, wondering from where she should start. A yearbook? If a student had really unexpectedly died, there might be something like a memorial page to them.

Pulling out a number of yearbooks from around that time, she carefully carried them over to the nearest table and got right to work looking through them. Judging from the amount of dust on their covers, nobody had really come here to look through them for awhile, she thought to herself. Quickly paging through them, lingering just long enough to have some idea what was on the page, she quickly moved through the stack she had pulled, wondering in the back of her mind how Heiji was doing right now. The thought of him up on the roof with some kind of ghost girl... a slight chill ran down her spine as she dwelled on it for a moment longer than she would have liked to.

So when a voice rang through her head, Kazuha very nearly jumped out of her skin, letting out a slight shriek. Her heart pounding in her chest, she slowly turned to look behind her- before she almost glowered at the floating figure that had snuck up on her, half wanting to give him a good sock in the gut, his currently incorporeal form be damned.

"That's not funny, Heiji." Kazuha snapped, planting her hands on her hips.

 _Yes it is._ Came Heiji's playful response, one that matched the wide grin on his face. _How's it goin' on yer end, Kazuha? Ya find anythin'?_

"No, not yet." Shaking her head, Kazuha glanced over towards the stack of yearbooks. "How about you, Heiji? Did you learn anything from the roof?"

 _Well the ghost girl was up there,_ he began, watching as a shiver worked it's way down Kazuha's spine once more, _but she's not the talkin' kind. At the very least, I think we can say that she probably died around ten at night, if she's actin' out her death 'round that time over an' over._

There was still something that bothered him about that, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

"I can't believe there's been a ghost on the school roof this whole time." Kazuha said, making a small face. "I used to eat lunch up there, even."

 _Well, ya shouldn't worry too much about it. She's harmless in so far as they go._ Heiji was quick to reassure her, even as his thoughts darted back towards the hint of black that drifted through the ghost's shimmering form. That hint of negativity, something which he feared might grow with time if nothing was done about it. That too bothered him- if the ghost girl had been around for long enough to have become a proper school ghost story, passed down from upperclassman to underclassman at least twice, why was she only now seeming to fall into the negative?

Had there been something to trigger it?

That one man show she'd put on... that was definitely the scene of someone being murdered, there was no mistake about it. Had there been any murder cases involving the school in the past? If there had, it would have been well before his time, he thought.

"Well, if you say so, Heiji. I'll take your word for it." Kazuha said with a slight frown, watching as her friend drifted over towards where the yearbooks were, looking through them with that sharp detective's eye of his eye. She smiled a little at it, somewhat grateful for the familiarity of it- with everything that had changed regarding her childhood friend lately, it was nice to see what things stayed the same no matter what. Speaking of that, though...

"Hey, Heiji," Kazuha began, wondering if she should finally get the question that had been troubling for awhile off of her chest.

 _Hm? What is it?_ Peeking his head around the bookshelf, Heiji frowned a little at her.

"Ah, no, it's nothing." Shaking her head, Kazuha flashed him a smile. Now really wasn't the time to be asking him personal questions- they had an investigation to focus on, and for once, Heiji definitely needed her help. As she watched him struggle to pick up an old cardboard box at the bottom of the shelf, she felt as if her thoughts had been proven for her. "Do you need me to get that?"

 _No, no, I've got it, just give me a..._ Grinning to himself as he finally managed to make his hands corporal enough to lift it, Heiji floated back over towards the table, carefully placing the box back down on it, flashing a triumphant grin towards Kazuha. _Old school newspapers._

"Ah, that's a good idea!" Opening up the box all the way, Kazuha let out a small sneeze at the dust this action kicked up. Sniffling a little, she began to pull out a number of them, setting them down in front of her. "If a student really did die on campus, there's no way it wouldn't be front page news, especially in the school newspaper."

The pair setting themselves to scouring through the school newspaper, they worked in silence for awhile, Heiji focusing all of his attention towards looking for the answers that currently eluded him. If this ghost girl was still acting out her death like this, was it still a case that had gone unsolved? Had the culprit gotten away? Or maybe...

"Do you think this could be it, Heiji?" Kazuha's voice broke his thoughts, as she pushed a newspaper towards him. Glancing at the date on top of it, he noted that it was from the spring of 1991, over twenty five years ago. He recognized the picture of the girl featured within the article all at once but it was the headline that didn't make any sense to him.

 **Tragic Suicide Shakes Student Body**

What he had seen up there on the roof- that had been no suicide. Without question, that had been a murder.

"It said that she killed herself because she wasn't able to handle the pressure her parents pushed on her to study." Kazuha read, a slight frown on her face. She could already tell from the look on Heiji's face that he didn't believe for one second that this had been a suicide. "It wasn't really a suicide, was it?"

 _No._ Giving a firm shake of his head, Heiji's eyes narrowed as he poured over the article, memorizing all of the names mentioned within it. The ghost girl's name had apparently been Kitagawa Rumiko, who had been dating a Kagawa Haruka at the time of her death. The article also made mention of two friends- a Yoshikawa Michiru and a Tatsuno Noriko.

One of those names, he knew.

 _Isn't Yoshikawa Michiru the science teacher?_ Heiji blinked frowning a little. There was no picture of the student in question in the article, but the way the name was written was the exact same. _Do ya think they're the same person?_

"I think she did mention that she had graduated from this school once, so it might be." Nodding her head, Kazuha frowned. "She's certainly old enough to have been a student here around twenty five years ago."

 _We should probably talk ta her. I bet the old man might have some files on this case as well, even if it was closed as a suicide at the time._ At the thought of his father, however, Heiji let out a noiseless sigh, scratching the back of his head. He couldn't help but wonder if he would actually let him look at said files what with the current tension between the two of them.

Well, he might as well at least try asking.

"Let's do that then." Standing up, Kazuha began folding up the newspaper, carefully sticking it inside of her pocket. "We can track down Yoshikawa-sensei after school tomorrow. Do you think you'll be able to manage both that and talking to your dad?"

 _Yeah, I should be able-_ Heiji paused, his fox ears twitching at the sound of something that only they could catch. In the hallway there was the distinct sound of footsteps drawing closer towards the room, and suddenly remembering the school's security guard, Heiji felt the color all but drain from his face. If Kazuha was caught sneaking into the school after it was closed, she could get in serious trouble!

 _Oi, Kazuha. The security guard is comin'. Hurry up an' turn off the lights!_

"Eh?" Kazuha blinked, now hearing the sound of footsteps herself. Realizing that she was at school without permission right now, she hurriedly made for the light switch- but not fast enough.

"Is someone there?!" She heard the security guard bark out. Letting out a small squeak, Kazuha finally managed to switch off the light, looking around for a place to try and hide where the guard might not find her- she wasn't on the library committee, she wasn't supposed to have the key to this place in the first place! If she got caught, not only would she get in trouble, but her underclassman would get in trouble for giving it to her in the first place as well.

Exchanging a look with Heiji as she heard the security guard close in, she finally spotted something that looked like it might be a good hiding place. Pivoting on her heel a tad too fast, however, she lost her balance for a brief moment. As she tried to grab for a chair to steady herself, she only met empty air, having slightly overshot her reach, the usual grace she had as an aikido champion momentarily lost to her in the most embarrassing of manners.

 _Kazuha!_ Floating in front of her in an attempt to break her fall, Heiji instead was met by the strangest of sensations as she all but passed through him- before he found himself being yanked downwards in one direction, his perspective suddenly rapidly shifting. The next thing he knew, he found himself lying on the floor, groaning slightly from the pain of his forehead smacking right into it. Just as he pushed himself up, a vague feeling of wrongness seeping through him that seemed to ease itself just as soon as it appeared, the door to the reference room opened up, the security guard's flashlight illuminating the darkened room.

"You want to tell me what you're doing here long after school's been let out?" He heard the security guard say, and he couldn't help but wince as the flashlight was beamed directly into his eyes. "Well? Don't just keep silent, Toyama-san. Even someone like you needs to obtain permission to stay at school after hours."

That was odd- why wasn't Kazuha saying anything? Glancing around the room, he dimly realized that he actually couldn't see her anywhere- what was going on?

"Toyama-san, I said. I mean you. Unless there's someone else here?" The security guard asked, heaving a sigh as he stepped into the room. "It's that Hattori kid again, isn't it? I thought I gave him a good talking to the last time I caught him sneaking around the campus after dark, but I guess he's not the type to listen to that sort of thing."

"What's that supposed ta mean!?"

Two things rapidly became apparent to Heiji all at once. The first was the fact that for some reason, he could apparently talk again.

The second was the fact that that had most definitely _not_ been his own voice.

It had been Kazuha's.

Removing the hand that had been nursing the head wound that he now realized made no sense for him to have in the first place, he very quickly came to one conclusion, something that briefly sent him reeling. The pale color of the hand in question alone was enough for him to make the connection- the fact that the arm it was attached to was considerably more slender than his own was only icing on the cake.

Somehow, one way or another, he'd been quite literally pulled _into_ Kazuha. At this current point in time, he wasn't technically Hattori Heiji- but rather, he was his own childhood friend- Toyama Kazuha.

"There's no need to get angry at me, Toyama-san. Here." Offering what he believed was the real Kazuha his hand to help her up off the floor, he frowned a little. "Now where's that Hattori boy hiding?"

 _Right here. I'm right here._ Heiji couldn't help but think to himself, even as 'Kazuha' accepted the man's hand, using it to pull herself back up to her feet. How had something like this happened? He hadn't heard anything about this from Grandmother Fox, but apparently it was more than possible. Whatever the case, it was a fact that the person in control of Kazuha's body at the current time was none other than himself.

The real Kazuha was going to kill him, he thought to himself, as 'Kazuha's' face worked to give the security guard a small smile. In the back of his- hers? this was Kazuha's body after all, not his own- he could still vaguely feel Kazuha's presence. It seemed like the slight blow to her head from earlier had knocked her out somewhat, but he didn't doubt that she would be furious about this turn of events whenever she did wake up, however accidental it had been.

Especially since he had _no idea_ how to fix it.

"I-" 'Kazuha' began, before realizing the mistake they were about to make, and quickly changed their phrasing. Kazuha did not, after all, refer to herself using _ore_. "He's not here. It's really just me here, I promise!"

"You're not just covering for him are you?" The security guard asked, a skeptical look on his face.

"No, I'm not!" Shaking their head, 'Kazuha' let out what they hoped wasn't a totally obvious laugh. "I was just asked by him ta come here an' look up some stuff fer him. U-um, is there any chance we can not tell my parents about this?"

Because he might be able to fool the security guard into believing that the person he was speaking to was the real Toyama Kazuha, but there was no way in hell that he'd be able to get her _father_ to believe it. At the thought of trying to convince Toyama Ginshiro that he was the real deal, a shiver ran down 'Kazuha's' spine.

"Will you promise not to do it again?" The guard asked after a moment, heaving a sigh. When 'Kazuha' nodded quickly in response, he nodded his own head. "Alright, I won't call your parents about this. But you had better keep your promise, Toyama-san. Now- it looks like you bumped your head a little. Should I walk you to the nurse's office before I walk you out?"

"No, no, that's fine, it's just a small bump." Nodding their head, 'Kazuha' let out a slight sigh of relief, wondering what they were going to do from here on out. The important thing, Heiji thought, was figuring out a way to get _out_ of Kazuha- if he'd gotten in here in the first place, there had to be a way back _out_.

Out of all of the strange things he'd been exposed to over the past month, this? This definitely was the strangest thing, hands down. And yet perhaps the strangest thing still was how quickly he came to even accept this sudden change in perspective. Any sort of awkward feeling that should have accompanied suddenly finding yourself in the body of your childhood friend did not seem to surface within him.

"What did you come here looking for anyways?" The guard asked, glancing back at what he had no reason to suspect was anyone other than Kazuha. "If that Hattori boy's involved, it's probably some kind of case, huh?"

"Ah, yes!" With a quick nod of their head, Heiji tried to recall where Kazuha had put that newspaper article- before reaching into their back pocket and pulling it out. "Um, do ya know anythin' about this case?"

Shining his flashlight on the newspaper in question, the guard shook his head. "No. 1991 was maybe about ten years before I started to work here. Sorry."

Clicking their tongue, 'Kazuha' folded the newspaper back up, sticking it back into their pocket. Deciding that he might as well take advantage of this situation to ask the guard some questions himself, Heiji quickly shifted his method of approach. "Say, have ya started ta hear any strange sounds lately? Like a metallic clang or a loud thud?"

"Now that you mention it..." The guard trailed off, nodding his head. "It all started maybe about two months ago. I looked into it of course, but didn't find anything. Is that what that boyfriend of yours is investigating?"

Boy-?!

"No, no! I'm not- I mean, he's not, it's not like that between us!" Honestly Heiji wasn't sure if this protest had come from himself, of some deep subconscious part of Kazuha that was still very awake. "B-but yes, that's what I- _he's_ looking into!"

But two months ago? That was odd. If the ghost had been around for at least twenty five years, why was she only acting out her death now? Had something changed?

"Well, here's the door, Toyama-san." The guard came to an abrupt stop, giving 'Kazuha' a pleasant but nevertheless warning smile. "I assume you can show yourself out from here."

"Ah, yes!" Doing their best to give the guard a smile, 'Kazuha' gave him a slightly awkward laugh as they slipped out the front door, quickly making their way outside of the school gates. Once they were alone, they let out a deep breath, placing a hand on their head, trying to work out what to do about this situation. Running a hand through their hair, they closed their eyes, wondering when it was the real Kazuha planned on finally waking up- she hadn't hit her head _that_ hard.

"How do I get myself into these messes?" Heiji mused, trying to pinpoint when hearing Kazuha's voice come out to give voice to what he'd been thinking had ceased being strange. There was such a thing as being _too_ adaptable, he thought to himself. The ease at which he used her body only managed to strike him as strange when he actively thought about it, because otherwise he just seemed to not really question it much. It felt almost natural.

What exactly _had_ been done to him in the first place, he suddenly found himself wondering, perhaps for the first time. The fact that this question had not crossed his mind at all until now was strange within itself.

And then finally, in the back of their currently shared mind, Heiji could feel something stirring, hearing a sigh of relief that he knew was his own escaping from Kazuha's lips.

"Kazuha? Ya awake?" Heiji asked, glancing around them. Deciding it was perhaps best to not loiter around the school they had just been kicked out from, he turned their body towards the nearest park, where they could do any number of strange things to try and fix this without drawing any attention to themselves.

 _Heiji?_ Kazuha's voice floated softly through their currently shared mind, a note of very understandable confusion on it. _What happened? The last thing I remember is hitting me head, and-_

There was a long pause there, and Heiji could feel a bolt of panic shoot through them that he knew wasn't coming from himself.

 _W-wait a second, am I moving? Heiji, what's going on? I suddenly don't feel like I'm in control of my own body._

"Ah, about that..." Heiji gave Kazuha an awkward laugh, only feeling slightly strange that he was doing so using her own voice. "That's because it's me." Lifting up their arm, they rubbed the back of their neck, unsure of exactly how to put their current situation. "Somehow or another, I think I got pulled inside of ya, an' well..." They trailed off, giving another awkward laugh. "I don't really know how ta get back _out_."

There was another long silence then, and Heiji could almost feel Kazuha's all too understandable anger building inside of her. Still, rather than snap outwards with it, she gave herself some time to calm down first, properly trying to process the situation.

 _So right now there's two of us in here? You and me?_ When the sensation of her own head nodding passed through her, an action that had not been carried out by herself, Kazuha felt herself letting out an exasperated mental sigh. _Well this is closer than I expected the two of us to_ _ **ever**_ _get._

Unable to help himself, Heiji let out an audible snort. "That's definitely one way of puttin' it. But seriously though Kazuha, what should we do about this? No offense, I'd rather not be stuck bein' ya forever."

 _And I don't really care for being a disembodied voice trapped inside my own head._ There was a sour note to Kazuha's voice. _For the moment, Heiji, let's try and get back to my room. Right now you're making me look like I'm talking to myself, and I'd rather do something like_ _ **that**_ _within the privacy of my own room._

"It's yer body, so if ya insist." Heiji said, shrugging their shoulders. "But I'm pretty damn sure I won't be able to fool yer dad worth a damn, I'm just warnin' ya in advance."

 _It's fine, we'll just sneak in. Hopefully we'll be able to separate before morning comes._

"Man, I hope so." Heiji mumbled, folding their arms in front of their chest. "Otherwise this is goin' ta very quickly become the _strangest_ investigation I've ever done in my entire life. An' I thought gatherin' evidence when I was a _fox_ was weird."

Hearing Kazuha's mental sigh echoing through their shared mind, Heiji could feel an echo of a fond smile form on the face they both currently shared. _I can't believe that in a situation like this, you can still think about cases. That's just like you, Heiji._

There was another pause then.

 _Even if you_ _ **are**_ _technically_ _ **me**_ _right now._

* * *

"Ah. Right."

It had taken Heiji maybe a solid second to recall why the bed he'd woken up in that morning had been Kazuha's- and a second longer to recall why he had been able to reach out with a very human hand to shut off her alarm clock, one far too slender and pale to be that of his own.

Lying there for a long moment, he could only find himself staring at Kazuha's hand, hovering above their head. As he watched the fingers work at his commands, he let out something of an exasperated sigh, placing it on their face and dragging it over it. Sensing that Kazuha was still asleep in the back of their currently shared mind, he pushed himself up using their hands, moving their body into a sitting position.

"Must've fallen asleep at some point..." The words mumbled came out in Kazuha's voice, and a loud yawn escaped from their mouth. Glancing down at their crumpled clothing, he wondered when it was they had drifted off, unable to stay awake any longer. They had spent the better part of last night trying to figure out how to separate, or at the very least, figure out to give Kazuha control of her own body back, but both attempts had met with failure.

As a last ditch measure, he'd recalled that Grandmother Fox had given him a way to contact her if he needed her advice about something- and this most definitely fell underneath that. A message had been sent off, but a reply from distant Hokkaido might be awhile coming yet.

Apparently the theory that sleeping it off would work was a bust too, Heiji grumbled to himself, wondering what the two of them were supposed to do now. There was no way he'd be able to successfully pose as Kazuha for an extended period of time, and he knew that she was more than just a little frustrated in regards to their current situation. He couldn't say that he blamed her- it was more or like her body was being possessed, and there was nothing that she could do about it.

The bigger question, he thought, was perhaps his _own_ reaction to this situation.

 _"It feels almost like you got spirited away and turned into some kind of youkai."_

She had said that line as something of a joke, but honestly, right now it felt like it was more or less the truth. Well, whatever the case, it wasn't like they could just lounge around in bed all day. If they didn't at least _try_ and keep up some semblance of normalcy, it would only make things all the more suspicious- that was something that they had decided on before they had apparently drifted off to sleep.

Besides that, that ghost girl from last night was still worrying him- there was something strange about a ghost that had been around for at least twenty five years only now beginning to act out her death, night after night. Something fundamental must have changed- and there was only one thing that Heiji could think of.

Whoever murdered her might have returned to the school.

Trying to apply logic to the supernatural felt a little strange, but it was the most likely answer. In some way, shape, or form, whoever was responsible for the death of Kitagawa Rumiko had returned to Kaihou High School. At the very least, it probably wasn't Yoshikawa Michiru, if the science teacher was the same person who had been listed in the article as her best friend at the time. She had begun teaching at the school over two years ago, and considering the behavior hadn't started until at least two months ago, the time gap was just too large.

But she might still know something. And whatever the case, he still intended to solve this murder that had gone mistaken for a suicide for far too long.

 _Heiji?_ The faint voice that drifted through his thoughts caused him to smile a little, in spite of everything. He could feel the understanding wash through her, as she realized that nothing had changed since last night. _So sleeping it off didn't work, huh... Well, somehow I didn't think it sounded all that likely._

"It's about time Sleepin' Beauty woke up." Teasing Kazuha using her own voice was definitely an _experience_ , to say the least. "What do ya wanna do, Kazuha? This is still yer body after all, even if I'm the one movin' it around right now. I don't wanna do anythin' without yer call."

 _Get out of last night's clothes and brush my hair, to start with. I probably look like a total mess right now. If I'd known we were just going to fall asleep like that, I would have just had you get me ready for bed, Heiji._

"I know we planned on it last night, but do ya really wanna go ta school like this, Kazuha?" Getting to their feet, he felt Kazuha's body creak, stiff with sleep. "I'm not confident in bein' able ta fool people who really know ya into thinkin' I'm actually ya, however much I might _look_ like ya at the moment."

 _It can't be helped! We still need to return the key to Mitsuharu-san, and there's things you need to ask Yoshikawa-sensei, right? If that's the case, I wouldn't mind lending you my body for awhile longer._ There was a brief mental snort then. _Though it's not like I have much choice in the matter. It almost feels like we're stuck together like glue right now. You are sure there's a way to get you_ **out** _of me, right, Heiji?_

"If I got inside of ya in the first place, there must definitely be a way out. We just obviously aren't doin' somethin' right." Heiji noted, walking over towards where Kazuha's bathroom was and opening up the door. "Wow, you were right though." Letting out a slight snort at the reflection cast back in the mirror, he lifted up their hand, plucking at clump of hair. Seeing Kazuha's face reflected back in the mirror somehow didn't strike him as strange as he thought it should have- even as he watched the reflection mimic his own actions. "That's some amazing bed head, Kazuha."

 _Uuuuugh._ Kazuha's exasperation came through loud and clear, almost as vivid as if it were something he was feeling himself. _You'd better make me presentable, Heiji, I won't forgive you otherwise._

"Relax, relax. Even I know how ta brush hair." Reaching out to pull yesterday's ribbon out of Kazuha's hair, he quickly located Kazuha's hair brush, getting to work on trying to make her mangled mess of hair more manageable. "Our three goals should be ta figure out the truth behind Kitagawa Rumiko's death, ta figure out a way ta get me out of here, and ta avoid our parents like the plague, since there's no way they wouldn't be able ta tell somethin' weird is goin' on. _Especially_ my old man."

 _I still can't believe how well you're taking this, Heiji._ Kazuha observed. She herself was unable to shake how strange it was to be a mere observer from within her own body, watching as someone else moved it about. At the very least it was someone that she trusted- even if it was weird that it was Heiji of all people who she had found herself sharing her body with. It'd be a little less weird had it been say, Ran, she thought to herself. _My school uniform's over there, by the way. Don't look at anything when you change._

"I won't, I won't." Heiji promised her, one of his usual quick grins surfacing on their face. "Put some faith in me, Kazuha." Pausing to puzzle at the chest ribbon of her uniform, their lips twisted into a small frown as he tried to remember how one was supposed to tie something like this. "Hopefully we should at least get a reply from that fox Neechan tonight, so we might only have ta put up with this fer today, I hope."

 _Doesn't this feel at all weird to you, Heiji? You're in someone's body that's not your own, after all._

"To be honest? No, not really. I actually feel completely _normal_. Ya'd think I'd at least feel a _little_ bit like some kind of weird body snatcher, but nah. Even hearin' yer voice come outta me doesn't feel all that unnatural. How can I put this..." Frowning as they managed to tie the chest ribbon properly, checking over the school uniform to make sure everything was in proper order, they moved to pick out another hair ribbon from where he already knew Kazuha kept hers. "It's not that I feel like Hattori Heiji right now, because I _don't_ , I guess. But at the same time I don't feel abnormal or strange in any way, even though I guess logically speakin', I most definitely should."

"But I'm not quite sure if I feel like I'm Toyama Kazuha either, that said. I just plain don't feel weird at all." Heiji couldn't help but note, heading back towards the bathroom mirror, trying to puzzle out how Kazuha tied her hair ribbon again. Eventually trusting to the body's muscle memory, they tied the ribbon off, checking themselves over in the mirror, hoping that they made a passable enough Kazuha at least on the surface. "Then again, I've somehow already gotten used ta having a fox's body most of the time, an' that hasn't felt all that weird since I got that form in the first place. I feel pretty normal then too. Barely even question it anymore. At least yer body's human, Kazuha."

"Maybe I did get turned into some kind of youkai back there. Maybe that's why this doesn't feel as weird as it should ta me. Maybe it's just part of the whole bein' some kinda spirit monster thing." Heiji couldn't help but snort, watching as Kazuha's head shook in the mirror in accordance to his own action. Satisfied that there was nothing in their appearance at least that would give hint to the fact that the person using Toyama Kazuha's body was not actually Toyama Kazuha, they gave a quick nod. "Well? How do I look?"

There was a brief, lingering thought that he sensed from Kazuha, but couldn't quite make out, something that had begun ever since he had began to answer her question. Whatever it was, she quickly dismissed it, as if it weren't a subject she wanted to breech while the two of them were like this. It really was something she felt like they should discuss, especially after the information he'd just given her, but now, she thought, wasn't the right time. _You look fine. Now everything depends on how well you can act like me, Heiji._

 _Which is to say that you should_ _ **probably**_ _keep your mouth shut as much as possible today._

"Oh _foo_!" A loud whine escaped from their lips, a very visible pout surfacing on Kazuha's face, hands placed on their hips. "But I'm finally able to speak normally again! You're so terribly mean, Kazuha-chan!"

 _Even I'm not that girly, idiot._ Came Kazuha's somewhat surly response- before she broke out into a small fit of laughter in spite of herself. _Well, just don't make me act like_ _ **that**_ _, and we should probably be fine._

* * *

 _Um, Heiji, can you just tell me one thing?_

"Hm? What's up, Kazuha?" Pausing mid-bite, Heiji tilted their head, reaching up with a napkin to wipe their mouth. Since he'd essentially snuck back out of Kazuha's house that morning so that he wouldn't run into either of her parents, he had just grabbed a sandwich from the school shop.

 _Why do you have to eat lunch on the roof with the_ _ **ghost**_ _?_

Turning up to look towards the specter in question, Heiji swallowed the bite of sandwich, just as the ghost girl turned around, beginning another loop of the school roof. She'd been doing nothing but floating in circles around the roof ever since they had come up here. She hadn't paid the person who had sat down by the rooftop door, sandwich in hand even the slightest bit of mind since the very beginning.

"More like, I'm just surprised I can see her so clearly through yer eyes, Kazuha." Heiji noted, taking another bite of their food. "Ya couldn't really see her the other day, so I thought I'd be only able ta make out some kind of vague blur when I came up here, but... I wonder if it's because of me."

 _Hattori Heiji, if you've made it so that I can vividly see ghosts now, I'm going to kill you myself._ Kazuha's sharp, no-nonsense voice came out clearly through their shared mind. _At least once I get my body back from you, that is._

"Well that's not very much incentive fer me ta give it back, now is it?" Flashing a grin, a laugh quickly escaped from Kazuha's lips, letting the real one know that he was only joking about that. "Maybe things will go back to normal once yer alone in here again. Let's not add that to our already extensive plate of worries fer the moment. Besides, I think I did fine posin' as ya so far."

 _Except for the part where you nearly walked into the boy's bathroom._

"Hey now, everyone makes that kinda mistake at least _once_ in their life. Besides, it's fine, nobody saw that." Nodding their head, Heiji finished off their sandwich, wiping their hands with their napkin before rising to their feet. Brushing dust off of the skirt of Kazuha's uniform, a loud yawn escaped from them. "Anyways, we just need ta get through the rest of classes, an' then I can go question Yoshikawa-sensei. Or well, you will. Since I'm you right now."

 _Geez, I still don't understand how you can be taking this all so easily, Heiji._ Kazuha fussed at him. Watching her own body move and talk without any input from herself, was a feeling that she just couldn't get used to. As she watched herself go about her daily school life without her having anything to do with it, the feeling of strangeness only increased. She was still connected to her body's senses, it seemed, it was just that she couldn't actually make it _do_ anything.

Speaking of that though, she caught something briefly through their shared eyes. _Hey, Heiji. Look over there at the ghost. She's stopped moving._

Blinking, Heiji turned towards her, a confused expression crossing Kazuha's face once he noticed that she was right. The ghost girl had indeed stopped moving, and was floating in place, appearing to be almost looking at something on the ground beneath them. Curious as to what it might be, Heiji made their way over towards the railing of the roof, glancing down towards the ground.

If he didn't make a mistake, it seemed that the ghost girl's intense stare was fixed on that of a male student- and not one that he recognized. A quick check with Kazuha confirmed that she didn't know him either- and no sooner than had the student disappeared back within the school building, did the ghost girl resume her endless loop of floating.

"I'm gonna file that under things ta look into later."

* * *

"Yoshikawa-sensei!"

Pausing to glance at the student who hurried to greet her, the science teacher known as Yoshikawa Michiru paused, turning towards the ponytailed girl in front of her with a small smile. "Ah, Toyama-san. Can I help you with something?"

"Um, actually, do ya think there's somewhere we might be able to speak in private, sensei?" Clasping their hands together, 'Kazuha' gave her a slightly pleading look. "There's somethin' important I need ta speak ta ya about today."

Blinking a little, Michiru slowly nodded her head, her black curls bouncing a little as she did so. She couldn't help but be struck by the fact that Kazuha's Osaka-ben had seemed a little bit heavier today than it usually was. There had just been something slightly _off_ about the ponytailed girl that day, although she just couldn't put her finger on what it might be. Was something bothering her, perhaps?

"Certainly." Nodding her head, she reached into her pocket and pulled the keys to the science lab back out, opening the room back up again. Leading Kazuha into the room, she closed the door behind her, motioning for her to take a seat wherever she liked. Watching as she did so, Michiru smiled, taking a seat across from her. "Now, what can I help you with, Toyama-san? Is there something on your mind today?"

"Mm, I guess ya could say that." Reaching into their skirt pocket, 'Kazuha' carefully unfolded the newspaper article from the previous night, sliding it towards the science teacher, a more serious expression crossing her face. "Is the friend mentioned in this article you, sensei?"

From the way that Michiru paled, there was no mistake about it. Reaching out to take the newspaper with shaking hands, she carefully read it over, as if she was facing down a ghost from her past. Giving Kazuha a slow nod, she set the newspaper down, a deep look of guilt on her face.

"Yes, that's me." Michiru said slowly, pushing the newspaper back towards her student. "How did you find this, Toyama-san?"

"While lookin' through the record rooms." 'Kazuha' told her frankly, taking the newspaper back and carefully folding it back up again, not wanting to make the obviously shaken teacher look at it for much longer. "I- no, _Heiji_ asked me ta start lookin' fer somethin' like this."

"The Hattori boy?" Michiru asked. "Why?"

"Because he thinks it wasn't a suicide."

The look that washed over Michiru's face was almost one of the dawn breaking. Getting to her feet, she opened her mouth- before taking in a deep breath, calming herself back down and returning to her seat. "Does he really think so?"

"Yes, he does." Nodding their head, 'Kazuha' gave her a small smile. "Judgin' from the way ya reacted, it seems like ya think so too, Yoshikawa-sensei."

"I've always harbored doubts." Michiru confessed after a moment. "I knew that there was something troubling Rumiko in the weeks before her death, but I somehow the idea that she could have taken her own life never sat right with me. Something about it always seemed right, but the police wouldn't listen to me. They closed it as a suicide right away."

"Something was troublin' her?" Perking up at the mention of that, 'Kazuha' leaned towards her, their eyes narrowing. "Did she ever mention what?"

"No." Michiru shook her head. "I asked her about it a number of times, telling her that it was something I could help her with if need be... but she always said it was really nothing. I could tell right away that she was lying to me, though, but I just didn't know how to get her to open up to me. And then finally, _that_ happened."

Placing a hand against their chin, 'Kazuha' pondered this information. Was it possibly something about the culprit that had been troubling them? Had the culprit pushed them into a corner, and had then killed them? Glancing up towards Michiru, 'Kazuha' briefly locked eyes with her.

"Did everythin' seem fine between her an' her boyfriend, an' her other friend?"

"Mm, I think so." Slowly nodding her head, Michiru almost seemed a little hesitant of her answer. "I couldn't help but notice that she hadn't been seeing her boyfriend as much lately, but at the time I just thought it was because she was worried about something. But, I'm surprised, Toyama-san," She blinked a little, giving her a small smile. "It almost feels like I'm getting asked questions by Hattori-kun himself."

That seemed to startle 'Kazuha', their eyes going wide. "R-really?" Laughing a little, they rubbed the back of their head, giving the teacher a sheepish look. "I'm mostly just repeatin' the kinds of things he told me ta ask. He has the whole issue with his throat, after all!"

"Ah, I heard about that." Nodding her head, Michiru reached out, placing her hand over her student's, giving it a reassuring pat. "I'm sure you must be worried, Toyama-san, but I'm certain Hattori-kun will recover in due time."

"Y-yeah." Nodding their head, 'Kazuha' couldn't help but continue to let out a slightly nervous laugh, silently retreating their hand from the teacher's light grasp. "I'm sure he will! But Yoshikawa-sensei, let's not distract ourselves from the more important issue at hand."

"Oh, yes!" Nodding her head, Michiru quickly frowned. "If you're asking me who I think did it, I'm afraid I can't tell you that much, Toyama-san. If I knew, I would have already looked into it myself a long time ago. The most I can tell you is that right after her death, both Kagawa-kun and Noriko's parents had them change schools."

"Ah, but if you want to speak with Noriko, she's actually the one the principal hired to paint a mural on the outside of our school gym." Michiru told her, glancing out the window towards the structure in question.

"Eh? Really?" Blinking, 'Kazuha' all but sprang to her feet. "When?"

"I think the principal first called her here for an initial meeting around two months ago?" Michiru frowned a little. "I was pretty surprised to see her here. Since she starts painting once school lets out, she might be there right now, so you might be able to speak with her if you went over there now, Toyama-san."

"Then, I'll do that! See ya later, Yoshikawa-sensei!" Waving a hand, 'Kazuha' hurriedly left the room. Making their way down the stairs almost two at a time, Heiji was almost itching to go and ask this Noriko some questions- after all, two months ago matched up perfectly to the time that the ghost girl had started reenacting her own death.

 _Wait a second, Heiji, stop, stop!_

As Kazuha's warning rang out in their shared mind, Heiji skidded their shared body to a stop- just a little too late to avoid all but slamming into someone. Fortunately, the person in question was built so that colliding with a teenage girl did basically nothing to so much as even move him, the man planting their hands on Kazuha's shoulders to keep her from losing her own balance.

Unfortunately?

"Where on earth are you going in such a rush, Kazuha? You needn't be taking after my son now."

Unfortunately, the man in question was his _father_.


	8. The Nature of Things

AN: Chapter eight is here! Thanks to everyone who came out in response to the last chapter, that really made me happy! This was a pretty fun chapter to write in some places. As always, I thank you all for reading, and I ask you to leave a review if you can! Till next time!

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter Eight**

 **The Nature of Things**

* * *

The sound of two people internally screaming inside of one mind was, as it turned out, _very loud_.

For a moment, Heiji and Kazuha found themselves so completely in tune with the other that it briefly became next to impossible to tell whose thoughts belonged to who. Of all the people they hadn't expected to run into at school, Hattori Heizo was probably at the top of the list. What the hell was he even _doing_ here?

"Are you feeling unwell, Kazuha?" Heizo's voice snapping the pair back into focus, they could both feel their heart pounding loudly in their chest, briefly wondering how it was that the chief of the Osakan police didn't notice it.

"A-ah, no, not at all! Rather, I'm sorry about runnin' into you like that!" Shaking their head, 'Kazuha' gave Heizo a smile, giving him a quick apologetic bow, one that went against every fiber of Heiji's being to give. But considering that he was pretty sure his life almost _literally_ depended on doing the best impression of Kazuha he could possibly pull off, now was hardly the time to be thinking about things like that. If his _father_ of all people managed to find out that he was running around in his childhood friend's body, well he'd-

Okay, honestly, Heiji didn't even want to _think_ about how his father would react. At the very least he didn't think that he would try to straight up murder him like he was pretty certain Kazuha's father would if he ever knew about this whole mix up.

Pausing to assess the girl that Heizo had come to know so well as she grew up around his son that he almost thought of her as a daughter, he couldn't help but internally frown somewhat. His instincts told him that there was something somewhat off about Kazuha today, although for the life of him, he couldn't pin down exactly what it was. There was nothing outwardly unusual in her appearance to give him this impression, but there was something... slightly _off_ in the way that she moved.

It was mildly troubling, he thought.

"But what are you doing here at school, U-Uncle Heizo?" 'Kazuha' asked, having to almost literally bite down on their tongue to prevent themselves from calling him 'old man'. Kazuha's muscle memory was perhaps the saving grace here, so Heiji perhaps wisely decided to allow himself to tap into that- it'd probably save his butt. "Did somethin' happen?"

There was a slight pause before the mustached man answered, giving the ponytailed girl a slight nod of his head. "In a sense. We received an anonymous phone call around two days ago with a tip, so I decided to look into the matter myself. I'm sure you know that Kaihou is my alma mater as well, Kazuha."

Apparently his own father referring to him as 'Kazuha' was at least, enough to break through whatever kind of strange indifference Heiji felt in general about this situation- that at least, he thought, was a little weird. Heiji had to actively fight off the urge to narrow their shared eyes at the mention of an anonymous tip, however. His instincts were screaming at him that this couldn't be a coincidence- did the anonymous tip the police had received have anything to do with Kitagawa Rumiko's murder?

"What kind of tip?" Tilting their head, 'Kazuha' slowly felt their own pounding heart relax somewhat. After the initial calculating look that they had gotten from his father, he had seemed to settle into speaking to who he thought was Toyama Kazuha as normal. Maybe he'd be able to live through this yet- provided that he didn't drop his guard. "I haven't heard of any incidents happening at school lately."

"It happened quite a number of years before you attended this school, so I'm not surprised you haven't heard of it." Heizo told her, shaking his head, before giving her another studious look. For some reason he had the very distinct impression that if he told Kazuha about what it was that had brought him to her school that day, then his son would almost _instantly_ learn about it as well. Still, no doubt as soon as his son heard even a whiff of the rumors that were sure to come out soon, he'd bury his nose in this affair anyways, so perhaps trying to keep it concealed was a fruitless effort.

"Twenty five years ago, in the spring of 1991, a female student by the name of Kitagawa Rumiko jumped from the roof of the school building during the night. By the time she was found the next morning, she had already passed away." Heizo noted. "At the time it was ruled as a suicide, but according to the tip we received, this case might not have been as clear cut as everyone thought it was at the time."

 _Hey, Heiji, isn't that-?_

So it was just as he thought. But who was this anonymous tipster? Obviously it couldn't have been the ghost girl herself, though he did briefly ponder if she was capable of possessing someone. It was an idea he quickly dismissed- if the ghost girl had any form of consciousness, it was brief and recent, so it wasn't likely.

"Ah, speakin' of the school roof," 'Kazuha' spoke up, turning their gaze up towards the stairwell that lead up to it. "One of my underclassman who has been stayin' after school to help organize the library recently noticed that it's always been unlocked at night. Do you think might be related?"

"It's not impossible." Heizo noted, pondering the information. "But it's fortunate that I ran into you, Kazuha. Have you seen that fool of a son of mine around anywhere? Apparently he didn't come back home last night, and Shizuka is quite worried about him. We haven't seen that fox you've been keeping as a pet since yesterday either, come to think of it, that seemed to bother her too."

 _That's because I'm right here, standing right in front of you_. Heiji thought to himself- feeling Kazuha's face twitch ever so slightly in spite of his best efforts at being called a fool by his father, yet again. Honestly, exactly what did he have to do to actually earn his father's respect? And here he was, talking so freely and fondly to the person he thought was Kazuha. What the hell was up with this difference of treatment?

Ah, but that was right, though. In all of the commotion, they had completely forgotten to touch base with his mother. They should probably do that.

 _We should probably at least tell Auntie Shizuka the truth, Heiji. We can't really say how much longer we'll be like this after all, it might be a good idea to have someone who can help us._

That probably wasn't a bad idea, all things told. If his mother had managed to accept her son turning into a fox, then her son essentially having become his childhood friend would be next to nothing.

"No, I haven't heard anything from Heiji." Shaking their head, 'Kazuha' flashed Heizo a quick smile. "But I'm sure he's fine. He's probably just gotten himself invested in something again and has forgotten all about the time. He doesn't have a cellphone anymore, after all. I'm sure he'll turn up soon though."

"Mm." Heizo's frown only deepened, peeking one eye open at Kazuha in a way that made the girl before him almost flinch. "If you say so, Kazuha, then I'll pass that on to Shizuka. Are you headed to aikido practice?"

"Ah, actually I didn't get much sleep last night, so I was going to skip it today." 'Kazuha' told him. Heiji wasn't about to push just how far he could take depending on Kazuha's muscle memory, after all. "If I passed out again, I don't think my mother would let me continue."

 _Well, that actually might be true._ Kazuha mentally supplied.

Giving her a firm nod, Heizo gave the shoulder of the girl in front of him a light pat. "That's good. Do take care of yourself, Kazuha. You really needn't pick up any bad habits from that son of mine."

Fighting back another twitch, 'Kazuha' nevertheless managed to smile, nodding her head. "Don't worry, Uncle Heizo! I'd never do something like that! Anyways, you probably have business of your own to attend to, so I shouldn't hold you up here for much longer." Carefully stepping around him, 'Kazuha' quickly moved to head past him.

"Just one moment, Kazuha." Heizo spoke up, something in the tone of his voice making them flinch. As he looked back at them, one eye open and fixed upon them, there was a slight frown to Heizo's features.

"Um, is there something you still need from me, Uncle Heizo?" Turning on their heel, 'Kazuha' did their best to not let on that the rapid pounding of their heart had returned in full force.

There was another pause then, before the man shook his head. "No, excuse me, Kazuha. It's nothing. I'll see you at another time." Watching as the ponytailed girl gave him a swift nod and headed down the hall, visibly resisting the urge to break out into a sprint, Heizo couldn't help but feel his frown deepen as he watched her walk. There was something off about the way she carried herself today, something that was distinctly out of the ordinary.

As he watched Kazuha head back into her classroom, he shook his head, deciding to return his focus towards what he had come here to do in the first place- to question the teacher who worked here by the name of Yoshikawa Michiru, who had been a friend of the deceased at the time.

So for the time being, it was time to put aside any thoughts about Kazuha having seemed somewhat odd, including the very peculiar feeling Heizo had that rather than having a conversation with the girl he treated like she was his own daughter, he'd actually had a conversation with his _son_.

* * *

"I thought my heart was goin' ta stop." Letting out a deep breath, Heiji felt Kazuha's shoulders slump, finally feeling their pounding heart die down a little. "Do ya think I managed ta pull the wool over his eyes?"

 _For the most part, at least._ Kazuha mentally frowned. _I think he noticed_ _ **something**_ _, but thank goodness Uncle Heizo is such a skeptic. I don't think he'd ever suspect on his own that the person he was talking to was you, and not me, Heiji._

"Yeah, but we can't put all of our faith in that." Rubbing the back of their neck, Heiji felt a sigh escape from Kazuha's lips. "If the old man finds out about this, I get the feelin' he's never goin' ta be able ta look at me the same way ever again."

Heading over towards Kazuha's desk, they picked up the school bag that they'd left behind there, and quickly exited the classroom, briefly checking to make sure Heizo had moved on. Heading down the stairwell closest to their classroom, they made their way out of the main building and started to head over towards the gym, where they could make out someone hard at work putting the finishing touches on a mural.

"Sorry about all this, really, Kazuha." Suddenly wishing that he could use his own voice as opposed to Kazuha's, at the very least for something like this, Heiji cast a glance down towards their currently shared body. "It seems like I've just completely taken over your body, even if it _was_ just an accident. As convenient as it is to be able to talk to people for a change, I'd give it back ta ya if I could."

 _He_ might very well not feel even a little bit strange about this whole ordeal, but he didn't even have to ask to know how disorientating Kazuha thought this whole thing was. He could only imagine what she was feeling- she was able to see, hear, and feel everything that he did, but she wasn't able to actually move her own body, control of it having been completely wrested from her. She had essentially been reduced to a disembodied voice floating in the back of her own mind, watching herself interact with the world around her as if she were watching some kind of movie. Honestly, he felt more than just a little terrible about it- what kind of best friend was he, basically stealing her body from her?

Once they had figured out that it didn't seem like they would be able to separate, they had worked very hard to attempt to at least reverse their positions- Heiji would have been more than happy to take on the role of a disembodied voice in the back of Kazuha's head if it meant her being able to be in control of her own body again. But in spite of his own concentrated effort to do so, it seemed as if he were firmly in control of the body they'd unexpectedly found themselves sharing.

 _You don't have to apologize, Heiji. I know you didn't do it on purpose. I'm not mad anymore._ Kazuha was quick to reassure him, all but feeling Heiji's relief at her words. _It's true that I don't like this situation, and I want to go back to normal as soon as possible, but it's not liking being angry with you is going to change anything. I know you'd give me back my body if you were able to, and at the very least, I trust you with you._

 _Besides, now that I've calmed down a little, it's not even like I feel like I'm going to disappear or anything like that. I might just be a voice, technically speaking, but I feel pretty stable in my existence, I guess?_ At the very least, she hoped that made sense- maybe sharing a mind would allow Heiji to catch the drift of what she was thinking. _For the moment, it's better that I get used to this, rather than keep fighting it every step of the way. Hopefully we'll be able to go back to normal quickly, but we should be prepared to be stuck like this for awhile._

 _If anything, I'm worried about_ _ **you**_ _, Heiji._

"Me?" Blinking at her words, they folded their arms in front of them, a small smile forming on their face. "I've already told ya, Kazuha, I feel fine. Almost like I've been in this body all of my life, as opposed to just since last night. It's really intuitive, actually."

 _But that's exactly_ _ **why**_ _I'm worried!_ Kazuha protested. _You've become a different person entirely, Heiji, you should at least feel a_ _ **little**_ _strange, usually! I don't know if you've noticed, but even though your Osaka-ben's heavier than mine, you've been almost flawlessly imitating my speech pattern from the start, even in private. That's a little weird, Heiji._

"Ah, now that ya mention it..." Heiji frowned a little, pausing midstep to study the body they'd found themselves in once again. Pulling at the edge of the skirt of Kazuha's uniform, they turned around in a circle once, before turning to glance at the image reflected back towards them in the glass of one of the classrooms. Lifting up their hand, Heiji pinched Kazuha's cheek lightly, letting out a sharp wince as that sent a sharp jolt of pain through them, the action feeling as natural to him as if he'd given himself a pinch in his own body.

Rubbing their cheek, he let a sigh escape from Kazuha's lips. "I really don't know what ta tell ya, Kazuha. I can see why yer worried, though, but it's not like I feel like I'm suddenly goin' ta wake up one mornin' an' forget I was ever Hattori Heiji if this keeps goin' on fer much longer. An' like I said before, I don't think I feel like I'm _you_ , either, however natural I feel in here, I just-" Shrugging their shared shoulders, he watched the helpless look cross their face in the glass. "...can't really get worked up about this one way or another, I guess."

 _Well, as long as you're sure you're not going to forget who you actually are, Heiji._ Kazuha said after moment.

Still though, Kazuha thought to herself, isolating her own thoughts to a little bubble where they wouldn't spread out towards their mind at large, what had exactly happened to Heiji back then, when this Grandmother Fox had saved his life? That had to be the root cause of how easily he was adapting to this bizarre situation. Was there something that fox woman hadn't told him?

If that was the case, she was determined to find out exactly _what_.

* * *

"Are ya Tatsuno Noriko, by any chance?"

Watching as the woman paused in her work, looking down to see who it was that was addressing her, she slowly gave them a small nod. "Yes, I am. Might I ask who's asking?"

"Ah, I'm-" Heiji began, skirting a little too close to giving out his own name for a brief second. "Kazuha. I'm Toyama Kazuha." Letting a slight breath of relief escape from their lips, a polite smile surfaced on 'Kazuha's' face. "I actually have a few questions ta ask ya if it's not too much trouble."

"Sure." Setting aside her paintbrush, she carefully made her way down from the scaffolding that she had set up. "What can I help you with Toyama-san?"

"Did ya know a Kitagawa Rumiko?" Deciding to cut straight to the chase, Heiji couldn't help but note the way the color seemed to drain from the woman's face at the mere mention of the name. "So ya do."

"I'm sorry, but how do you know that name?" Her guard clearly raised now, Noriko eyed the ponytailed girl before her in suspicion. "Yes, I did know her once, but..."

"I-" 'Kazuha' began, before quickly biting down on their tongue again, realizing their near mistake. Apparently the less a person knew 'Toyama Kazuha', the more lax he found himself getting around them- that was bad, especially since he didn't doubt the old man would come this way before long, if he really was going to speak with Michiru like he suspected he was. "-that is, me an' a friend of mine, have been lookin' into their death recently, an' yer name came up when we were lookin' into things."

"I see." There was a slight frown on the woman's features, a clear look of suspicion. "There's not really much to investigate, anyways. She killed herself."

"Yoshikawa Michiru doesn't seem that think so." 'Kazuha' noted, leveling their gaze on the older woman before them. Noriko's eyes narrowed at the mention of her old friend's name, before she heaved a slight sigh, placing her hands on her hips.

"She's always thought that." Noriko said after a moment. "But there's nobody who would have wanted to _murder_ Rumiko either, little miss detective. Her parents were putting an incredible amount of pressure on her to get into a top college anyways, so it's not that unlikely that she found herself at the end of her rope because of that."

"Yoshikawa-sensei said that she noticed her actin' strange before her death. Did ya notice anythin' like that?" Folding their arms in front of their chest, 'Kazuha' gave the woman before them an assessing look.

"I did. But isn't that sort of thing to be expected in the case of a suicide?" Noriko asked, rubbing the back of her head. "Look kid, I don't know what you want from me, but the matter was closed ages ago. I'd advise to not go around poking your nose in things that you have nothing to do with. Now if you don't mind, I'd really like to finish this mural today."

Shooting the woman something of a dirty look as soon as her back was turned, 'Kazuha' let out a frustrated sigh, scratching the back of their head. That hadn't been a _total_ bust, and the way the woman had seemed to want to avoid the topic altogether certainly seemed more than a little bit suspicious, but it wasn't enough to draw any conclusions from.

 _I don't think she's going to talk to us anymore, Heiji._

So it seemed, Heiji thought to himself, watching as the woman climbed back up towards the scaffolding. And if his old man was going to be heading this way before long, he'd better make 'Kazuha' scarce. There was no doubt he'd hear from both Yoshikawa-sensei and Noriko alike that what seemed to be Kazuha was looking into the death of Kitagawa Rumiko herself, but there was no need to hurry up and meet him in person after that last slip up.

"At any rate, we should probably take this chance ta head back over towards my place an' discuss things with mom." Heiji noted, making their way towards the school gates. A voice catching their attention as they did so, he felt a grumble escape from them as he realized what the source of it was- honestly, a bunch of third year students ganging up around what looked to be a first year... didn't they have any decency at all?

"Hey, ya lot!" Kazuha's voice coming out in a loud bark, the glower on their face wasn't even something that they tried to mask. "What the hell do ya think yer doin', gangin' up on one freshman like that? Get lost already!"

Definitely hearing one of them whisper to what he assumed was their boss something along the lines of 'geh, it's Toyama Kazuha', Heiji felt one of the girl in question's own brows shoot up as he wondered what the hell kind of reputation Kazuha had earned herself with the school's delinquents when he wasn't looking. Whatever it was, it was more than enough to make them back off without so much of a fight, leaving the first year student alone.

Actually, now that he got a closer look at the guy, he seemed kind of familiar.

 _Hey, isn't that the boy we saw earlier from the roof?_

Realizing that Kazuha was right, Heiji carefully studied the boy in question, watching as he began to collect his scattered belongings. Kneeling down in front of him to help him, 'Kazuha' passed him one of his notebooks, putting on the best smile on their face as they could. "Here ya go. Some people sure do have a lot of nerve, don't they?"

"Y-yeah." Slowly nodding his head, the freshman took the notebook from her, stuffing it back inside his bag. It was only then that he actually seemed to pay attention to the person in front of him, almost doing a double take. "U-um, are you Toyama Kazuha, by any chance?"

"I am." Nodding their head, they stood back up. Well, at the very least, the body was Kazuha's, even if the person he was speaking to _wasn't_. "Do ya need somethin' from me?"

Swallowing, the boy seemed to almost hesitate for a second, as if he wasn't sure he should say what he was about to say. "U-um, you know that high school detective, right? Hattori Heiji?"

"I do." _He's me._ Wondering what this kid could possibly want from him, 'Kazuha' placed their hands on their hips, tilting their head slightly. "Do ya need somethin' from him?"

"Um, actually there's something that I need to speak to him about..." Glancing down at his feet, the boy seemed to be doing his best to avoid making eye contact. "But I also heard that he's not attending this school anymore either, so I'm at something of a loss."

"Ah, if that's the case, I can contact him fer ya." 'Kazuha' told him, a quick grin flashing on their face. "Well, I don't think he'd be able ta speak ta ya in person at the current moment," _Because I have_ _ **no idea**_ _how to get out of here_ , Heiji thought to himself. "But if there's somethin' ya need ta tell him about, I'd be more than happy ta pass it on ta him."

"T-then, in that case, could we meet up a little later today?" The boy asked, before suddenly realizing that he hadn't introduced himself. "Um, I'm Kagawa Hirota. It's a pretty important matter, so I want to discuss it as soon as possible. Just... just not _here_."

Kagawa? He'd heard that name somewhere before- and recently too. Trying to pull at his memory, he quickly recalled that it was the last name of boyfriend of the ghost girl whose mystery he was trying to solve. Somehow he got the feeling that this wasn't a coincidence- and if there was something this kid sharing his last name was interested in speaking to him about, he had a strong feeling it was, as a matter of fact, pretty important.

"Sure, that's not a problem." Pulling out a scrap of paper from Kazuha's bag, they quickly scribbled down her number on it, before handing it over towards him. "Give this number a call, an' I'll meet up with ya anywhere ya need, kid."

Carefully taking it from them, the freshman boy all but clung to it as if it were a talisman, giving them a quick nod of his head. "Y-yes! I'll be sure to do that. Thank you, Toyama-senpai!"

* * *

"Oh, Kazuha-chan!" Shizuka found herself smiling fondly at the girl that had knocked on the door. Quickly taking notice of the nervous expression that was on her face, however, she found said smile to be fleeting, sensing that something might be the matter. "Is something the matter?"

"W-well, ya could say it's somethin' like that." Giving his mother a nervous laugh, Heiji could feel Kazuha's heart pounding away within their chest. While this had sounded like a good idea when they'd spoken about it earlier, now that they were actually in front of her, both of them appeared to be equally nervous about confessing the truth to her. "C-can I come in?"

"Of course! Please make yourself at home." Stepping aside to let 'Kazuha' in, she couldn't help but note that something seemed slightly strange about her today- she just couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. Following behind the girl as she made her way to the living room, Shizuka watched as she sat down on the sofa, setting aside her school bag and giving Shizuka an awkward looking smile.

"Actually, I have somethin' that I need to discuss with ya." 'Kazuha' told her, placing their hands in their lap, watching as Shizuka took a seat next to her. Maybe they could still back out of this?

 _Don't say that, Heiji! If this goes on for much longer, we could really use your mom's help! Besides, she sounds like she's worried about you, from what Uncle Heizo said earlier. The least you could do is be honest with your own mother._

"What is it, Kazuha-chan?" Frowning a little, Shizuka peered at the ponytailed girl who sat next to her. The more she studied her, the more she began to feel that there really was something wrong with today's Kazuha. There was nothing out of place on the surface, at the very least, but there was something in the way that she carried herself, and something about that familiar expression on her face that she knew from somewhere... "Does this have something to do with Heiji? He didn't come home last night, you know."

"Y-yeah, it does." Slowly nodding their head, 'Kazuha' placed a hand over their heart, trying to steady it back to it's regular rhythm. "I actually know where he is."

Letting out a slight sigh of relief at Kazuha's words, Shizuka gave her a small smile. "Well? Where has he gone off to this time?" She asked. When the girl in front of her lifted up a hand and pointed towards herself, she could only watch with no small amount of confusion. Wondering if she meant that he was behind her, Shizuka peered behind the girl's head, only to find that nobody was there. Turning back to look at the girl, whose expression was turning redder by the second, Shizuka leaned forward, peering closer into Kazuha's eyes.

"You're not..." Shizuka trailed off, narrowing her eyes a little. Reaching out to take 'Kazuha' by the shoulders, she watched as their expression transformed into one that would have not been out of place on her son's own face, a bit of awkward, nervous laughter slipping out from their mouth. Drawing back and letting go of their shoulders, Shizuka placed a hand against her mouth, drawing in a short gasp.

 _"Heiji!?"_

Giving his mother another nervous laugh, Heiji found their hand straying up to Kazuha's cheek, giving it a scratch. "Yeah, it's me." Nodding their head, they dropped their hand, spreading their arms out in something of a helpless shrug. "A few things happened, an' we ended up in a situation like this. We're kinda still workin' on how ta resolve it, actually..."

"Then, if you're Heiji, where's the real Kazuha...?" Shizuka asked, reaching out a hand to touch the face of the person in front of her. The face and the voice were exactly the same as Kazuha's, but the movement, expressions, and now the manner of speech, as he'd switched back to referring to himself with his usual ' _ore_ ', were purely her son. "Ah, don't tell me...!"

"Ah, no, no!" Quickly shaking their head, Heiji hurriedly tried to reassure her mother. "It's not like she's in my body or anythin' right now. She's still in here." Reaching up and tapping their head, he heard Kazuha giving a small sound of protest at the motion. "Right now, the both of us are kinda stuck together like glue, I guess ya could say."

 _It's a bit like we took being handcuffed to each other up to the next level, now that I think about it._ Kazuha mused, letting out a small snort in spite of herself. It was a bit funny when she thought of it that way.

"But how did something like this happen to the two of you?" Shizuka asked, not finding any reason to doubt this story. "Well, I guess this explains why you couldn't come home last night, Heiji, but you could have at least tried to contact me! I was worried sick!"

"Ah, sorry, sorry. Actually Kazuha an' I spent all night tryin' ta figure a way ta get back to normal, so it kinda slipped our minds. I didn't mean ta make ya worry." Quickly giving her a sheepish grin of apology, he felt their mutual nervousness all but wash away. Given the way that she'd already gone back to speaking to him normally, it appeared that everything was going to be fine. "As fer how it happened, well, that's kinda a good question too. I guess I tried to catch Kazuha when she slipped a little, an' the next thing I know,"

Shrugging their shoulders, a helpless expression crossed Kazuha's face. "I'm in here. After that happened, Kazuha an' I went back to her place an' tried to figure out some way of getting me out of here, but it was no good. We couldn't figure anythin' out."

"I see." A look of concern spreading out across her face, Shizuka reached out again, taking one of 'Kazuha's' hands within her own, a small frown on her face. Well, considering that her son had already been turned into some kind of fox, something like this wasn't honestly all that strange- even if it was odd to watch Kazuha speak and move in her son's manner. "But that's troublesome in it's own right, Heiji. What are the two of you going to do?"

"I did send a message to someone who might be able to help, but I don't know when they'll be able to get back to us." Letting out a small sigh, Heiji leaned back on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling. "There's not much we can do right now but try an' manage somehow. Well, if there's anyone you should feel sorry for right now, it's probably Kazuha. She's in a lot worse fix than I am right now."

 _Honestly, you've got that right!_ At the slight huff Heiji heard within their shared mind, he couldn't help but imagine the matching pout that surely went along with it. He could still sense full well that she was mostly teasing him, though. _I have my body snatched away from me by my childhood friend, and he still has the nerve to run around and try to solve a case in it. I might not be that mad anymore, Heiji, but you'd better try and make this up to me somehow when we go back to normal._

"Then, let me help you." Shizuka told them, rising to her feet and giving the pair a reassuring smile. "Honestly, I wanted to see the two of you become a bit closer, but this wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

"Kazuha already made that joke yesterday, mom." Heiji told her bluntly, before rising to their feet, picking up Kazuha's school bag once more. "Fer the moment, the two of us are tryin' ta keep to Kazuha's normal schedule, but there's also a matter that I was tasked to look into before all of this happened, so I can't ignore that either. Odds are you'll probably hear about it from the old man tonight. Speaking of which, I should probably leave before he shows up... I actually ran into him back at school, and I thought my heart was going to stop!"

"Then, in that case you had better hurry on back to Kazuha's place, Heiji." Shizuka advised him. "But do be careful if you're following some kind of case as you are now. Don't forget that the body you're in right now isn't your own."

"I know, I know." Flashing her a quick grin, Heiji gave her a small nod. "Well then, the two of us are off! Hopefully I'll be able to come back home soon as _myself_ , mom, but in the meantime, think up an excuse for why I can't be around fer the old man that won't make him angry at me. I wouldn't entirely be against him findin' out what happened ta me back in Seishina, but I'd rather him not know about _this_ ," twitching an edge of Kazuha's school uniform to demonstrate his meaning, "while I'm still in here at least."

"Don't worry, Heiji, I will." Shizuka reassured her son, before pausing, giving him a wry smile. "I'm pretty sure if your father found out about this, he'd make certain that you married Kazuha to make up for it."

For the second time that day, Heiji and Kazuha found their reactions so close together, that they could barely tell whose embarrassment was whose.

* * *

 _You are not walking out of this room wearing_ _ **that**_ _, Heiji._

"Then why do ya even _own_ it?" Heiji found himself asking, staring at the white shirt with bright pink glittery leopard print all over it that he'd found while going through Kazuha's dresser. Wearing her school uniform all day wasn't really an option, not if they were trying not to draw attention to themselves, so into the wardrobe they went.

 _In all honesty, I have no idea._ Kazuha admitted after a moment. _I have no memory of that shirt at all. At any rate, don't you_ _ **dare**_ _make me wear that, Heiji. You should burn it, if anything._

"Wasn't plannin' on it." He remarked, tossing the mystery shirt aside for the moment, before reaching down, opening up another drawer.

 _Wait a second Heiji, not that one! That's my-_

Kazuha's warning had come slightly too late, she thought to herself, as she felt her own body's cheeks turn a bright shade of red. Feeling her body shoving the drawer closed, an overwhelming feeling of embarrassment rising up inside of her that she knew as largely coming from Heiji, Kazuha let out a slight sigh, the sound of which echoed within their shared mind.

 _Underwear drawer._

"I was _not_ mentally prepared for that." Heiji managed to stammer out, reaching up to cover Kazuha's face with their hands, closing their eyes, feeling the rising heat coming off of their cheeks. "M'sorry Kazuha."

 _There's no point in apologizing about every little thing at this point, Heiji. Don't worry, I'm not angry at you. At the very least, I can trust you not to do anything weird to me._ _Now come on, don't you have someone you need to go meet? I'll help you coordinate a me-like outfit, so get it together, idiot!_

"Right." Nodding their head, Heiji took in and let out a deep breath, feeling the heat in their cheeks dying down somewhat. "Yer right. Sorry, Kazuha. Give me a hand here."

As he followed Kazuha's mental instructions, Heiji's thoughts turned towards the meeting in question. Just as they had made it back to Kazuha's house and managed to slip into her room without coming into contact with either of her parents, they had gotten a call on their phone. As he had promised, Kagawa Hirota was calling to set up a meeting place and time- in an hour, at a cafe that was close to their school. He'd sounded nervous, but no more nervous than he had been when they'd met him earlier in the day.

Glancing at the mirror that hung on the door to Kazuha's closet, Heiji frowned a little, watching as Kazuha's face echoed the expression he knew he was making. He'd already gotten completely used to it at this point, having fully come to terms with the idea that they might be like this for awhile. Carefully checking things over to make sure nothing looked out of the ordinary, he turned slightly on their heel. "Is this fine, Kazuha? I don't look weird or anythin' right? I don't know a damn thing about woman's fashion."

 _Ya don't know a damn thing about fashion in general, Heiji._ Came Kazuha's dry response. _But don't worry. It's my body you're in after all, you'll look cute no matter what you wear._

Putting a hand to their chin, a contemplative look crossed 'Kazuha's' face. "I'm not really sure how I feel about bein' called _cute_ , Kazuha." But it was true that Kazuha really did look cute in whatever it was she wore- which was admittedly, something of a strange thing for him to think when he was the one in her body at the moment. It didn't make it any less true, he supposed.

Honestly- first he found himself turned into a fox, and now he found himself in the body of the girl that he wanted to confess to. It seemed like no matter what, fate was determined to find a way to prevent him from properly confessing his feelings to her. There was _no way in hell_ he was going to confess to Kazuha while he was, technically speaking, Kazuha.

"Oh, but you are rather cute, little one."

Nearly being startled out of their skin wasn't nearly enough to pry the two of them apart, Heiji couldn't help but dimly note, even as he spun around on their heel to see who this sudden intruder was. Silver eyes watched them in amusement as they did so, a placid smile on the lips of the white haired woman who had spoken. She'd made herself quite comfortable, sitting on Kazuha's bed without seemingly a care in the world.

"You're-!"

He hadn't expected her to come out all this way in person. He'd been thinking that she might send some kind of messenger out instead.

 _She's beautiful!_ Kazuha couldn't help but let out a mental gasp. _Hey, Heiji, is this her? That Grandmother Fox person? I thought for sure she'd be an old lady!_

"Y-yeah, it's her." Nodding their head, Heiji tried to collect himself somewhat. "I take it ya got my message, then."

"That I did, little one." As the white haired woman got to her feet, the sound of bells faintly chimed through the room. "You seem to have found yourself in quite the fix already. I must admit, I'm rather surprised." Closing the gap between them with an effortless grace, she carefully cupped Kazuha's face in her hands, silver eyes scanning it with great interest. "You seem to be almost a natural at this. Do tell me, how do you feel?"

"Like my personal space is being invaded." Heiji couldn't help but quip, watching with a slightly blank look on their face as the fox woman let out a small laugh, taking a step back from them, giving them their requested space. With a bit of breathing room, Heiji scratched the back of their head, giving a slight shrug of his shoulders. "Even if ya ask me that, I guess the only thing I can tell ya is that I feel fine. Which is weird, right? It's weird that I don't feel weird about this."

"I suppose you would think like that, being one who was once a child of man." Grandmother Fox spoke, putting a hand to her chin, a hint of mischief dancing in her eyes. "You've settled into that body remarkably well. It must feel no different to you than your own."

"I guess that's one way of puttin' it." Looking up towards the white haired woman, Heiji tilted their head a little, giving her a sharp look. "But it's not how _I_ feel that matters, it's Kazuha. She's bein' as patient as she can be about this arrangement, but I don't need her ta tell me that she feels invaded. I've already tried everythin' I can think of ta get out of here, or at the very least give control of her own body back ta her, but as you can see, it obviously hasn't worked."

 _I don't feel like that, Heiji!_ Kazuha insisted, even though she knew that he had a point.

"I've seen cases of this a few times before in my many years." Grandmother Fox observed, stepping into the pair's personal space once again, carefully lifting up one of Kazuha's arms, starting to study the ponytailed girl's body. Feeling that there might be a point to this, Heiji put up with it the best he could. Tracing her hands up back toward their face, she carefully leaned back in once more, silver eyes scanning the green eyes of the one before her. Finally releasing them, she stepped back with a considering look.

"It is a natural ability of our kind to be able to slip into the bodies of humans." Grandmother Fox explained. "We foxes are creatures of mischief, and taking possession of humans is one of the many gifts that we are given. Still, I'll admit that I am quite surprised by how well you've slipped into that one, little one, considering that you were a human yourself only a few scant weeks ago. It's in our nature to adapt well regardless of what form we take. While we have forms that we favor, generally what form our vessel takes is meaningless to us."

"That is why you do not find yourself at odds with being in a form different than the one you were born into, little one." Grandmother Fox said, giving them something of a reassuring smile. "Have no fear that this brings with it any kind of ill omen. You could stay in that body for the rest of your days, and still not forget who you are, though you would gradually become more skilled at fooling those around you. If you were born as a fox as opposed to a human, your performance would most likely already be flawless, but I sense that it is not."

 _Your impression of me could definitely use some work._ Kazuha couldn't help but find herself note.

"I've always been a terrible liar. S'not really in my nature." Heiji confessed after a moment, still not entirely sure what to make of this information he had been given. He could hear Kazuha quietly listening from within their shared mind, a certain intenseness that he could sense from her.

"How strange." Grandmother Fox noted, giving a small shrug of her shoulders. "But my pondering in that direction shall be for a later day, as there are more important matters at hand. You seek a way to leave that form, do you not?"

" _Yes_." Kazuha's voice came out as short, as Heiji narrowed their eyes. "There has to be a way, right?"

"Time and acceptance are both key." The fox woman advised them. "For one such as yourself, who has been born of man, and not of fox, adapting to being one of our kindred is a process that takes time. The root cause of your issue here is that you've managed to accidentally use an ability that you have no understanding of, young one. Normally with time, you would eventually come to understand and master it, but this is a process that could take a considerable amount of time- at the very least, a month."

 _A month! I don't know if I can live like this for that long._ Kazuha's protest was very clear, but thankfully, the fox woman continued.

"This where acceptance now becomes key." Grandmother Fox told them, a serious expression crossing her face. "I understand that it is your goal to return to being human, however it is that very goal that hinders you from fully accepting yourself as you are now, however at ease I am sure you are in your fox body. Should you accept yourself as one of our kindred, and fully embrace it and all that it entails, with it should come a deep understanding of your new nature, and the abilities that accompany it."

"The fastest way to return your dear one's body to her is to embrace yourself as you are now. However, with your end goal in mind, I am not certain that I can fully advise it." Closing her eyes and drawing in her breath, the white haired woman clasped her hands in front of her. "Much as your end goal of returning to your human self hinders you from using your abilities to their fullest, it also keeps your humanity rooted firmly to you. Should you let go of that, even if you do find someone who can restore you to the human you were born as, the fox blood in you that has been awakened will not disappear."

"In other words, if you go by the method of time, you will eventually be able to return your dear one's body to her, but only after considerable time has passed. You will be fine, but this may strain your dear one's psyche." Peeking open one eye, Grandmother Fox carefully assessed the person in front of her. "But should you go by the method of acceptance, departure will come as quickly as you embrace that which you are. However, where you once would have been able to one day return to being a normal human, with no further connection to our world, should you accept this method..."

"You will forever remain connected to our world, even long after you return to being human. In other words, you will never truly go back to normal, Hattori Heiji."


	9. Understanding

AN: Chapter nine is here! The next chapter should wrap up the current arc, and after that it's on to the next arc- one that involves a KID heist and a different kind of mermaid tale, for those looking for something of a teaser of what's to come.

As always, thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you can. I know I sound like a broken record when I say they're what motivate me, but they really are! Go out and review your local fanfic author's stories today and make their days!

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter Nine**

 **Understanding**

* * *

"Well, that's easy." Heiji's reply came in almost an instant, having already long since made up his mind. "I just'll have ta deal with never bein' completely normal then."

 _Wait a second, Heiji, you don't need to rush into this kind of decision!_ Kazuha quickly insisted, wondering if he'd actually properly thought this through. _I can manage to hold out like this for at least a month! We can take the long way back to normal, you don't have to give up on something so important for my sake!_

"I ain't rushin', idiot." Placing their hands on their hips, Heiji gave a firm nod. "Didn't ya hear her? Stayin' this way fer a long time might put some strain on ya mentally. I can't do that to ya, Kazuha. An' I can't keep yer own body from ya fer over a month. That's out of the question!"

 _But, Heiji-!_

"But Heiji, nothin'. It's fine, idiot. I've already made up my mind." Heiji insisted, turning to look back that the white haired fox woman before him. "So? Ya say that all I have ta do is come to terms with bein' what I am now, but what exactly does that mean? Ya make it sound so simple."

"In a sense, it is somewhat simple." Grandmother Fox told them, giving them a slight nod of her head. "You must simply change the way you think of yourself, young one. As it stands now, you think of yourself merely as a human being who has been transformed into a fox through my magic, and while that is not wrong, I'm sure on some level you already realize that is not the whole of the truth."

"I kinda realize that, yeah." Scratching the back of their head, Heiji gave her a small frown. "Kazuha made a joke about it in passin' the other day, but I guess I'm some kinda youkai now, ain't I?"

"That's correct. Humans do call us that." Grandmother Fox said with a nod of her head, watching as the ponytailed girl in front of her let out a long sigh. "Well, that is simply a term that has been placed upon us by humans to begin with. We are what we are, regardless of what man defines us as. And you, Hattori Heiji," with a soft step of her foot, the sound of bells ringing through the air as she moved, Grandmother Fox reached out a hand, carefully touching the face that he now wore, "...must come to accept that you are no longer a child of man."

"I think I can manage that." Heiji said simply, casting a glance towards the woman's hand, wondering if it was just in the nature of supernatural creatures to be touchy-feely like this, and if _he_ was going to pick up this habit upon accepting being one. "An'? Yer sayin' once I come ta terms with that, that I'll be able to freely do whatever I need ta in order to get out of Kazuha?"

 _Heiji, you really_ _ **don't**_ _need to do something like this for me!_ Kazuha continued to insist, even though she knew full well he'd already made up his mind. They were sharing one at the moment, so it was impossible for her to _not_ be able to tell this much. _Please, think about this a little harder. Do you even know what she means by never being able to go back to normal? I don't want to see something bad happen to you just because of me!_

"Nothing bad will happen to him, daughter of man." Grandmother Fox frowned, a slightly amused chuckle escaping from her lips at the way they both started at the fact that she could hear her voice. "He will just be... different than he was before. Less rooted to your world, and more rooted to ours. Different, but the same."

"Why, should he accept what he has become now, there may be no need to return to being human in the first place!" Grandmother Fox declared with a theatrical wave of her hand, the sound of bells ringing out through the air as she took a slight step back. "After all, once he embraces his nature, he will be able to gain mastery over his own human transformation!"

"No, I'm still goin' ta return ta being human." Heiji said firmly. "Bein' a youkai would mean I was ageless or somethin' like that, right? I have no interest in that sort of thing. Sorry, but I'd rather grow up an' grow old with my friends normally."

"Is that so?" Tilting her head, clearly confused by this concept, the silver eyed fox nevertheless shrugged her shoulders, merely accepting it. "Strange. But alright. It is your decision to make, my child."

Letting a sigh escape their lips, Heiji rubbed the back of Kazuha's head, casting a quick glance at their reflection in the mirror. He didn't care _what_ the conditions were, as long as he could give Kazuha her own body back, and quickly, he'd do anything. Blinking, he couldn't help but catch the reflection of her clock in the mirror, and swore underneath their breath, turning back to look at it. It was getting close to the time they were supposed to meet with that freshman boy, and that was the slightly more pressing of the two matters currently before him.

"Oh, do you have an appointment?" Grandmother Fox asked, following their gaze. "Then I will make the rest of what I need to tell you brief." Giving their nose a light tap, the white haired woman gave her a wry grin. "Learn to accept yourself for what you are now, Hattori Heiji. When you have done so, you will know. There will be a _shift_ within you, but do not fear. Who you are at your root will not change, I can assure you as much. The way you perceive the world may change, but the core things that build up your personality will not."

"You are you, even if you have ceased to be human." Grandmother Fox said simply, taking a step back. "Now, go on. From what I gathered before I arrived here, you have found yourself some kind of mystery to solve. I shall not hold you up any longer with my talk, child."

"Do you ever say anythin' in a manner that's not ridiculously cryptic?" Heiji couldn't help but ask, even as the woman let out a loud burst of laughter, which lingered somewhat in the air even as she faded from view, disappearing as if she was never there to begin with.

 _Heiji..._ Kazuha began, but he cut her off, shaking their head.

"It can wait, Kazuha. We can't keep that freshman waitin' fer us- not if what I suspect about what he's got ta tell us is right."

* * *

Heiji had to wonder if Kagawa Hirota was just naturally nervous, or if it was simply the information that he carried with him that made him so. Either way, the freshman was clearly at his wit's end, glancing around himself nervously as if worrying that someone might have followed him to the meet up point. The fact that the person he was supposed to be meeting was somewhat late probably didn't help matters at all, and Heiji realized he had made the right choice by not making the kid wait while he tried to work things out with Kazuha's body.

His nervousness however, struck Heiji as slightly strange- if the person he was starting to suspect was the culprit behind Kitagawa Rumiko's murder was correct, then certainly even they wouldn't go so far as to harm their _own son_. Then again, he'd run into some pretty cold blooded murders in the past, so he wasn't entirely going to put it past the man.

Kagawa Haruka aside, there were still things about Tatsuno Noriko that bothered him, so Heiji wasn't quite ready to rule her out just yet. But Haruka had been on the top of his suspect list right from the beginning- if there really was something that Rumiko had been worried about before her death that she felt she couldn't discuss with either of her friends, then it would likely either involve her boyfriend or her parents. And since he doubted her parents would bring her all the way out to school to murder her, the boyfriend was the most likely candidate.

The fact that Kagawa Hirota was most likely Kagawa Haruka's son only cemented this idea. He'd given Yoshikawa-sensei a call earlier, and asked if she had any photos of Haruka from when they were in high school. As it turned out, father and son looked virtually identical- no small wonder, then that the young boy had caught the ghost girl's attention.

Still, there was something _missing_ from this equation, so Heiji wasn't about to jump to conclusions just yet. It wouldn't have been the first time that the obvious solution had turned out to be wrong, after all.

"Kagawa-han!" Waving their hand, 'Kazuha' called out him, watching the younger boy jump slightly, before relaxing, realizing it was just them. "Is somethin' wrong? Ya look kinda like a nervous wreck."

"Ah, no, it's nothing!" Hirota was quick to reassure them, giving the pair the most unconvincing smile either of them had ever seen in their lives. If there was one bonus to currently sharing a mind, it was the fact that they could convey such feelings between each other without the use for words, and Kazuha was definitely on the same page as he was.

Something was definitely wrong.

"Then, fer now, why don't we go into a cafe or somethin'?" 'Kazuha' asked, giving him something of a reassuring smile. Given how nervous he was, there was a chance that he might back out before he told them anything, and that was something Heiji didn't want. Perhaps it was for the best that he was wearing Kazuha's face at the moment- he'd been told he could be more than a little intimidating to this type of person in the past.

Granted, he never exactly _tried_ to be, it just sort of _happened_ that way.

Whatever the case, getting him into a more secure location would probably calm him down somewhat. They _probably_ shouldn't order him anything with caffeine in it though, judging from how jumpy he _already_ was.

 _Get him some herbal tea or something, Heiji. Mom says it's great at helping people relax, and this kid_ _ **clearly**_ _needs to relax._

"Y-yeah, let's." Hirota slowly nodded his head, glancing around him again before they made their way into a nearby cafe. Following Kazuha's advice, Heiji ordered the nervous freshman some herbal tea, and a coffee for themselves. It was only once they finally sat down that Hirota seemed to relax a little, his shoulders slumping.

"Ya seem pretty tense, Kagawa-han." 'Kazuha' couldn't help but note. "Is what ya have ta tell me that serious?"

"You could say that." Hirota told them, giving a small nod of his head, his hands clutching his cup as if it were some kind of lifeline. "You _are_ going to pass this on to Hattori-senpai, right, Toyama-senpai?"

"I will, I will." Flashing him a quick grin, 'Kazuha' reassured him. "Don't worry, Heiji's very interested in whatever it is that ya have ta say, Kagawa-han. I gave him a call about it earlier, an' he says he's willin' ta help ya out."

The relief that came over the younger boy was almost instant, and honestly, Heiji was glad to see it. Being that nervous and fidgety couldn't possibly be good for your health. One way or another, he should probably try and wrap this case up as quickly as possible, because he was half worried this kid was going to give himself a heart attack if this dragged on.

"So? What is it that ya need ta talk ta him about?" 'Kazuha' asked, pausing to take a sip of their coffee- before making a face, the bitter flavor almost overwhelming Heiji. He'd completely forgotten that he had Kazuha's taste buds at the moment, not his own. Popping off the top of the coffee cup, they quickly added in some cream, making the bitter drink more palatable.

"Well, actually..." Hirota began, before glancing around the cafe a little, trying to make sure that nobody was listening in on them. Once he was certain that nobody was, he leaned across the table somewhat, dropping his voice. "The other day, I heard my father say something pretty disturbing while he was drunk."

"Oh?" Their brows knitting together, 'Kazuha' leaned closer to Hirota, wanting to hear more about this. "About what?"

"It's not that uncommon that my father comes home drunk and starts ranting, he's done that ever since my mother left us." Hirota began, still keeping his voice low. "But he was especially drunk that day. I didn't really understand what he meant at the time, but he said something along the lines of," Hesitating a little, his cheeks tinting pink as he repeated his father's lines, Hirota continued. "...that if 'he knew that damn bitch was going to leave him like this, he wouldn't have done away with the first one back in high school.'"

"Done away with?" Blinking, 'Kazuha' leaned back, putting a hand to their chin. "What do ya think he meant by that? That sounds pretty serious."

"I didn't understand it at the time, but something about the phrasing bothered me." Hirota told him, shaking his head. "When I started looking into things from the time my dad was in high school a little, I uncovered an article about a girl named Kitagawa Rumiko, and discovered that my father had been dating her at the time. So I thought that maybe..."

"Yer father killed her?" Watching as the younger boy's face fell, staring down at his hands, Heiji let a sigh escape from their lips. It probably wasn't easy for any child to suspect their own parent of something like murder, but at least he'd cleared up who his _own_ father's anonymous tipster was- and if he didn't miss his guess, the person who kept leaving the roof unlocked every night as well. "I see. It's true that Heiji's actually been lookin' into that matter on his own, an' he doesn't think it was actually a suicide, but..."

" _Then!_ " Hirota looked up at them, his eyes wide.

"It's not impossible." 'Kazuha' said frankly. "Does yer father know ya overheard this?"

Either way, the vague, drunken ramblings of a man wasn't nearly enough to hold up in court- he needed something more substantial to prove Kagawa Haruka's connection to Rumiko's murder.

"No, he doesn't. At least, I don't think so." Hirota told him, shaking his head. "He doesn't really ever remember what he says when he's drunk. It's just..."

"Just?" 'Kazuha' asked, tilting their head to the side, catching the exact moment when Hirota decided to clam back up again, quickly shaking his head. Having to bite back a demand to spit it out already, sensing that would be counterproductive, he decided that it might not be a bad idea to make sure the kid got home safely.

"N-no, it's nothing!" Hirota said quickly, giving him a small laugh. "That's all. I wanted to talk to Hattori-senpai because if it's really true that my father..." His words caught in his throat here, and it took him a moment to continue. "...did something like that, then I think he shouldn't be allowed to get away with it. Even if he _is_ my father."

"Yer a good kid, huh?" 'Kazuha' couldn't help but ask, quirking a brow as the kid's cheeks turned a faint shade of pink. The real Kazuha seemed to let out a slight snort inside of their head, which he ignored for the moment. "Don't worry. I'll pass this information on ta Heiji right away, so ya can rest easy tonight, Kagawa-han."

"Y-yeah. Thank you, Toyama-senpai." Giving them a small nod of his head, Hirota carefully picked up his cup, sliding out of the booth. "I had better head on home before my father gets back. Thank you for listening to me."

"Don't worry about it!" Flashing him a quick grin, 'Kazuha' got to their feet as well, sliding out of the booth. "Then, I'll see ya later at school, Kagawa-han. Take care of yerself."

With a promise that he would, Hirota exited the cafe. Their eyes narrowing as Heiji noticed the nervous way he glanced around him before he left, they heaved a slight sigh, rubbing the back of their head. There was definitely something more that this kid wasn't telling him, and he got a bad feeling about it.

 _Maybe you should follow after him, Heiji? If you're that worried about him. I am too, to be honest. It felt like he wasn't telling us something still._

"Yeah, I'll do that." Narrowing their eyes, Heiji's gaze trailed the direction that Hirota went in, before they too ducked out of the cafe, carefully shadowing the nervous freshman. Maybe his instincts were off the mark, and maybe there was nothing to worry about, but he still didn't like the idea of letting the kid out of his sight.

When the sound of squealing tires met their ears just after Hirota rounded a corner, he knew even without catching up to him that his instincts had been right on the mark. Making a dash for the corner, Heiji swore underneath their breath as he just caught the back end of a car speeding down the street, already too far away for the license plate to be made out. It had been a small, red car though, and judging from the skid marks left on the road, it had taken off in a hurry.

With Hirota inside, Heiji thought to himself, taking notice of the takeaway cup that the boy's tea had been in, the contents now spilled out all over the street. With another rather colorful string of swears that he could feel Kazuha growing slightly red at hearing come out of her mouth, they darted off in the direction the car had taken off, but it was too late- it was nowhere to be found.

 _This is bad, Heiji. We should call the police right away!_

"Ah, yer right." Narrowing their eyes, Heiji pulled Kazuha's cellphone from their pocket. Calling the police would doubtlessly mean possibly dealing with his father again, but now wasn't the time to worry about that sort of thing. If things started looking like they might become more dangerous, he'd take the time to pull himself from Kazuha before getting more involved, but reporting this to the police _couldn't_ wait.

He could only hope that it wasn't the kidnapper's intent to silence the boy permanently.

* * *

Rather than his father, it was Otaki who arrived at the scene, something which had both teenagers letting out a breath of relief. It was true that Otaki knew the both of them well, but dealing with him would be far easier than dealing with Heiji's father- although they both had a sneaking suspicion that he might show up before long once he got wind of the situation.

"So, what was it that the victim wanted to speak to you about, Kazuha-chan?" Otaki asked, briefly sparing a glance over towards the girl. She almost seemed to have a different vibe to her today, although he couldn't exactly put his finger on why. Still, the matter of the kidnapping at the hand was far more pressing, and drew his attention away from any oddities that the ponytailed girl before him might be displaying.

"It was actually Heiji that he wanted to talk to." 'Kazuha' told them, a slightly strained smile on their face. It did feel a little strange to talk about himself like this, he'd admit that much. "But you know how he's been lately since getting that injury. So I came to discuss the matter with him in his place."

"I see. So if it was Hei-chan he wanted to speak with originally, did it involve a case of some kind?" Otaki asked, a grave expression on his face. Kazuha wasn't wrong, Heiji had become incredibly elusive ever since he'd returned back home from Hokkaido. In spite of that, the one thing he was certain of was the fact that the high school detective's interest in solving mysteries probably hadn't changed in the least.

"Yeah." Nodding their head, 'Kazuha's' expression turned quite serious. "It was about the death of a girl named Kitagawa Rumiko, who jumped from the roof of our school building twenty five years ago."

"I've heard about that case." Otaki blinked, glancing up from his police notebook. "If I'm not mistaken, it's the same case as the one that Hei-chan's father is looking into opening back up. Are you saying that this Kagawa Hirota had some information about it?"

"He did." 'Kazuha' told him. "He overheard his father say something disturbing in a drunken stupor, and wanted to talk to Heiji about it. Ah, his father apparently used to date Kitagawa-han back when she died." They quickly noted. "If I recall correctly, he was complainin' about Kagawa-han's mother, who had left them, saying that if he had known somethin' like that was going to happen, he wouldn't have 'done away with the first one back in high school'."

"I see. Certainly, that phrasing is suspicious." Otaki mused, narrowing his eyes. "And? You got a bad feeling and decided to follow him after he left the cafe?"

"I did. Fat lotta good it did though." 'Kazuha' grumbled the last part underneath her breath, flinching a little when Otaki case them a curious look. That had been a decidedly un-Kazuha-like thing to say, it seemed, Heiji thought to himself as he gave the older man a slightly nervous laugh. "But accordin' to Kagawa-han himself, he didn't think that his father knew he'd overheard him say that. Apparently he's not the type to remember anything he says in a drunken stupor."

"Besides, there'd be no need for his father to kidnap his son like _this_. He could have made him disappear in a much more subtle manner if he wanted ta." 'Kazuha' pointed out, casting a glance in the direction of the skid marks. Something wasn't right here, there was something that he was still _missing_.

 _Maybe you'd figure something out if you went back and watched that ghost girl again?_ It was a slightly unexpected suggestion from Kazuha, but nevertheless, she had a point. There might be something else that he could still learn from watching that one man act Rumiko's ghost was putting on.

"Um," Catching notice of the odd look that Otaki was giving them, Heiji let another nervous laugh escape from Kazuha's lips. "Is somethin' wrong, Otaki-han?"

"Ah, no, it's nothing, Kazuha-chan." Otaki quickly said, shaking his head. "It's just that for a second, you sounded an awful lot like Hei-chan."

"A-ah, i-is that so?" Rubbing the back of their head, Heiji felt a cold sweat break out on the back of Kazuha's neck. "Well, he is my childhood friend after all, so I just thought it was the sort of thing he'd say in a situation like this, you know? Of course, I could be wrong!"

"No, I do not think your judgment is mistaken, Kazuha." At the sound of Heizo's voice, 'Kazuha' jumped, their face growing somewhat pale as they slowly turned around to face the head of the Osakan police force himself. Flinching slightly at that assessing look in his eyes, one that was directed squarely at them, the nervousness shared between the two teenagers was, for the moment, completely mutual. "If his father really did want to silence his son, he wouldn't have needed to kidnap him off the street. Granted, it's not impossible that he might also take such an action to disguise his own involvement, but I've already checked with his workplace, and he hasn't left all day."

"U-Uncle Heizo." 'Kazuha' slowly began, putting on the best smile that they could manage. "W-what are ya doin' here?"

"My job." Heizo noted, briefly opening one eye. "I feel like I should actually ask what _you're_ doing here, Kazuha. Is my son using you to do all of his legwork these days?"

"Ah well, you know, he can't talk right now, so..." 'Kazuha' trailed off a little, giving him a nervous laugh. "I'm mostly just repeating questions that he already gave me ta ask in the first place."

"Hm." Was all the man seemed to feel inclined to say, and that in no way helped with either Heiji nor Kazuha's anxieties. They could only pray that Heizo really was too much of a skeptic to come the right conclusion here. "At any rate, we've contacted Kagawa-han himself and have asked him to come to the station. We'll discuss the matter with him there."

Sliding his gaze over towards Kazuha, Heizo's eyes narrowed as he studied the girl before him. The strange feeling that he'd gotten from her earlier hadn't changed any, and he wasn't quite certain what to make of the information that she'd been apparently running around asking questions for Heiji about this case- a case that it seemed Heiji had started to investigate even before the police had received the anonymous tip that Kitagawa Rumiko's death _hadn't_ been a suicide.

A tip that no doubt came from the currently missing Kagawa Hirota.

"U-um, is somethin' wrong, Uncle Heizo?" 'Kazuha' asked, taking a slight step backwards from the intensity of Heizo's stare.

Peering into the eyes of the girl before him, Heizo momentarily let a frown grace his features. "You _are_ Kazuha, correct?"

"Y-yes?" Blinking a little, trying to wear their best befuddled expression even as alarm bells went of in their head, Heiji did his damndest to not let his own panic show on Kazuha's face. "Who else would I be, Uncle Heizo?"

"Mm." Was all Heizo had to say- but thankfully, the man chose to withdraw the question, returning his focus back towards Otaki. Taking that as their cue to make a swift exit before they could get held up again, 'Kazuha' carefully made their way from the scene, briefly pausing to check the time.

It was nine already. That meant that there was only one hour until the ghost girl played out her death once more, and Heiji intended to not miss the repeat performance. He got the feeling that there was something hidden within it- something important.

* * *

 _Don't get caught by the security guard again, Heiji. Judging from what you told me about last night, if he catches us here again, we won't get off so easy._

"Don't worry, we won't actually be goin' into the school building this time. If I see him, I'll make a break for it." Nodding their head, Heiji easily made it over the school gate, glancing around the courtyard to confirm that it was indeed empty. It was quickly approaching the appointed time, Heiji thought to himself, as he caught a glimpse of the ghost girl circling the roof as per usual.

 _Ugh. I really do hope I won't be able to still see ghosts after all of this is fixed._ Kazuha lightly whined. _I don't know how you've been putting up with this, Heiji. They're seriously everywhere!_

"Well, the dead do outnumber the livin'." Heiji observed, picking out a spot underneath the shadow of one of the big trees, gaze fixed on the roof above them. He'd sent Otaki a message telling him to send word to 'Kazuha' if he managed to get hold of any new information regarding Kagawa Hirota's kidnapping, something he would return to looking into once he was done here. "S'not all that bad though."

With five minutes to spare, Heiji closed their eyes, leaning back a little, the cool night breeze causing a slight shiver to run up their spine. Maybe he should have fetched Kazuha a jacket before running off to look into this, he thought dimly, rubbing their shoulders. Letting out a long breath, he allowed himself a moment to dwell on what Grandmother Fox had told him earlier that day- about learning to embrace being something other than human.

It sounded easy, but it was probably actually a lot harder than that. Still, he couldn't let this situation drag on for much longer, and it really was the only option. The consequences didn't sound all that bad, all things told- nothing that he couldn't deal with. He kind of always doubted that he was going to go back to being _completely_ normal after having been transformed into a fox from the start, and although he didn't quite know how different accepting the reality of his situation in full would make him, he doubted that he'd suddenly become a different person or something like that.

 _Heiji, you really don't have to-_

"It's alright, Kazuha." Opening their eyes, Heiji felt a quick grin grace their features. "I already made up my mind. I've already put you out for an entire day now, an' that's more than long enough. Don't worry about it. Whatever happens after that, it doesn't matter as much as givin' ya yer own body back."

Heaving a mental sigh, not needing to be sharing a mind with him at the moment to know that he wasn't going to change his mind, Kazuha decided the best thing she could do was accept it herself. _Very well, Heiji. Ah, but it's almost time. Maybe you should turn your attention elsewhere?_

Knowing that she was right, Heiji turned their gaze towards the roof, fixing their gaze on the shimmering form of the ghost girl. Like clockwork, the phantom student once again began her one man performance. It repeated, much like it had the previous night- but this time, Heiji noticed something different, almost leaping to their feet when they realized what it was.

Yesterday, he thought that she had been looking straight at him.

But tonight, as he observed her from a different location than before, the realization hit him like a pile of bricks. It wasn't that the ghost girl had gained some small form of sentience that night- she hadn't been looking at him at all, merely looking at the spot in which he stood.

An action that she again repeated this night, even though the spot in question was now empty. There was no mistaking that her gaze had turned directly to face that location, though- if she hadn't been looking at him then, then...

"Someone saw it." Heiji mumbled, their brows narrowing, watching as the shimmering form of the ghost girl vanished from the ground where she had landed, once more appearing on the school roof, her death play finished for the night. "Someone saw Kitagawa Rumiko bein' murdered. She wasn't lookin' at me, she was lookin' at _them_."

 _But who, Heiji?_

"I think I have a good hunch." Heiji told her, gaze shifting towards the gym. "An' if I'm right, they're also the one who kidnapped Kagawa-han."

 _Ah!_ Realizing who he was likely thinking of, Kazuha let out a slight gasp. _But Heiji, weren't they friends? Why wouldn't she say anything if she knew that her friend had been murdered? Especially after all this time!_

"That I don't know yet." Heiji admitted, rubbing the back of their head. "I don't know what lead the older Kagawa-han ta murder her either, but I get the feelin' he's probably goin' ta end up spittin' it out to my old man before long." Pausing, Heiji cast a glance at their hand, a slight frown gracing their features. "But before I rush into anythin' else, there's one more thing I need ta wrap up first."

That was, of course, leaving Kazuha's body.

* * *

Securing a private place had been a matter of contacting his mother, who had informed him helpfully that his father was still out. Knowing that his father was looking into Hirota's kidnapping gave him some breathing room, frankly- even though he'd never admit as much out loud, he knew his father was significantly better at him than this. With him on the case, it gave him a few moments to try and focus on what else needed to be done.

Although she'd doted on them when they returned to the Hattori household for a few minutes, she eventually let them be, leaving the pair alone in Heiji's room. Heaving a slight sigh as he watched her go, shutting the door behind her, he sat down on the floor, shutting their eyes and drawing in their breath.

He'd always been somewhat adaptable, Heiji thought to himself, and it was time to put that nature of his to good use. Sensing that he needed to concentrate, Kazuha quieted her own thoughts, leaving Heiji in silence.

 _There will be a_ _ **shift**_ _within you, but do not fear._

Grandmother Fox's words echoed in their ears, as Heiji took in and let out another deep breath. He might have been born and raised as a human, he might have spent his seventeen years as one outright denying that the supernatural could ever possibly exist- but all of that needed to fully come to an end tonight. Things might change after this- but well, things had already been changed for the past three or so weeks, ever since he'd been strangled and drowned, his life only save by striking a bargain with a deity-like fox woman.

Hattori Heiji had been born a human, but he was no longer one. And while he wouldn't quite looking for a way to return to being human, for the moment he needed to accept the fact that he _wasn't_ one anymore.

He wasn't human.

It was like a surge ripping through their body, one that left both himself and Kazuha briefly reeling, their eyes snapping open. For a moment, it was almost as if Heiji had forgotten how to draw breath- but he quickly found air filling their lungs again. Eyes now wide open, there was a slight tingling sensation, one that he couldn't quite describe, a faint hum in the air that quickly dimmed back down to nothing.

Grandmother Fox had been right- there was a shift.

And with it came an understanding, a certain comprehension that he hadn't possessed before. Glancing down at Kazuha's hand, Heiji watched it move under his own command, before he took in and let out a deep breath, closing their eyes once more. What he'd struggled with for so long the previous night became simple this time around- all at once, he found everything shifting around him, before a sense of weightlessness surrounded him, as if he'd shed it.

"Heiji?"

Snapping his eyes back open, he found himself gazing down at the form of Toyama Kazuha, a concerned expression in his childhood friend's eyes. Glancing down at his own hands, he found that they were as he had always remembered them- his own hands, he thought to himself, opening and closing them. Watching as Kazuha rose to her feet, her command of her own body seeming to be somewhat shaky at first, before she quickly got used to it again, he felt his own shoulders slump.

"Heiji, are you alright?" Kazuha asked, reaching out to take his hands as best she could in his more incorporeal form. "Say something already, idiot!"

 _M'fine, Kazuha._ Flashing her a quick grin, Heiji watched as her shoulders slump as she heard his voice dancing inside of her head. _I'm okay. More importantly, how are you feelin'?_

"Like _myself_ , which is great." Kazuha admitted, giving him something of a sheepish look. She almost didn't realize how much she had hated the circumstances she had endured for the past day until she was finally in control of herself again. "No offense, Heiji, but let's not do that again any time soon."

 _Agreed._ Heiji said, reaching down to pat her on the head, his hand growing a little more solid as he did so. _Sorry fer puttin' ya through that, Kazuha._

"It wasn't on purpose." Kazuha said simply. "But you do have to make up for it, I'm holding you to that promise, Heiji." Wagging a finger at him, a slightly more serious expression crossed her face. "But Heiji, how are you really? When we were still linked, I thought I felt... something change within you. You're still you, right?"

 _Idiot, of course I'm still me!_ Folding his arms in front of his chest, his tail twitched somewhat angrily behind him. It was true, for the most part. There had been a definite shift within him, one that he wasn't certain he could explain very well to the all too human Kazuha. It was somewhat akin to suddenly being attuned to a different spectrum, viewing the world through completely new eyes. _Well, I'd be lyin' if I told ya that I don't feel any different, but I'm still me. An' me's got a case ta solve._

"Honestly, is that all you ever think about?" Kazuha grumbled a little, planting her hands on her hips. Watching as Heiji's form shifted, growing more solid before her eyes, his attire changing from that of his black and red kimono to a far more normal set of clothes, her expression slowly shifted to a proper smile. Reaching out, she took his now very solid hand in her own, glancing up at him. "Let's go see your father, Heiji. I get the feeling he'd probably appreciate seeing us standing side by side after that last encounter."

Letting out a snort, Heiji didn't even need words to convey the fact that he definitely agreed. That had been a little _too_ close.


	10. The Truth Will Set You Free

AN: Anyways, here's the tenth chapter of _The Bells Chime Beyond_! Ten whole chapters, wow! Frankly I kind of wish I could be a little more excited about it, but I can't help but feel this chapter is a little... lackluster in some respects. Maybe it's just me? At any rate, the coming arc should be a lot more fun and it's been something I've been looking forward to writing ever since I first thought up this story, so hopefully that should be better? A Kid heist + supernatural shenanigans + Heiji is always a mix for fun, if you ask me.

Anyways, I guess thanks for reading, and I'll see you all next time! Leave a review, maybe?

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter Ten**

 **The Truth Will Set You Free**

* * *

"It feels like it's been awhile since I saw you last, Hei-chan!"

Flashing Otaki a quick grin, Heiji turned his gaze in the direction of the interview rooms, asking a silent question if his father was in one of them. Seeming to catch the drift of what the voiceless high school detective wanted to ask, Otaki nodded his head.

"Your father's here, if that's who you're looking for. He's in interview room B with the father of Kagawa Hirota at the moment. I hear from Kazuha-chan that you've been looking into a case that may involve him?" Otaki asked, glancing over towards the ponytailed girl, giving her a brief frown. The different vibe that she had earlier had disappeared entirely, leaving the regular Kazuha in it's place.

What _had_ that been about, he wondered.

"He has!" Kazuha said, clapping her hands together. "So if it's not a problem, Otaki-han, could we go see him? Heiji's got a theory he'd like to share with his father as soon as possible."

"Oh, of course." Inclining his head, Otaki lead the pair towards the aforementioned interview room. Pausing briefly to glance back at Heiji, he couldn't help but be struck how strange it was when he was utterly silent. It must have frustrated the usually loud and outspoken youth to no end to be unable to speak. "He's in here."

Knocking on the door and earning a response that they could come in, Heiji poked his head into the interview room, flashing his father a cheeky grin in response to the sharp gaze the man turned towards him- which quickly then fell to Kazuha by his side. Exchanging a brief look between the two, Heizo seemed to put aside whatever he was thinking, motioning for them to come in and shut the door behind them.

Kagawa Haruka, as it turned out, was the spitting image of his son, even with twenty-something years between them. And judging from the nervous look on his face, he was probably just moments away from breaking underneath Heizo's fearsome stare, having probably not arrived at the police station expecting to be interrogated about a twenty year old closed case.

"Do you have something you need to share with me, Heiji?" Heizo asked, the only thing preventing him from turning his full attention back towards the man was the fact that he needed to be able to see Heiji's hands.

'I do, I do. It's not a bad time, right? Has this old man said anythin' about Kitagawa Rumiko yet?'

"We were just getting to that, in fact." Heizo told him, casting a sidelong glance at Haruka, who flinched a little. Even though it appeared as if the man couldn't interpret sign language, he nevertheless seemed to be able to derive the context from his statement. "I'm telling you now, Kagawa-han, if there's some reason that you can think of that your son might have been kidnapped, it would behoove you to tell us."

'Tatsuno Noriko, old man. If anyone's snatched up Kagawa-han's son, it's probably her.'

"The friend?" Heizo asked, merely quirking a brow. He'd interviewed the woman himself as well- and had been struck by how quickly she had claimed up once he'd mentioned the name of her dead friend, as if she wanted nothing to do with the topic. It wasn't in a way that struck him as a woman still haunted by the tragic loss of someone close to her- but like a woman who didn't want to risk letting something slip by discussing the topic with a police officer.

Turning back towards Haruka, Heizo opened up one eye, carefully assessing him. "Can you think of any reason that Tatsuno Noriko might have wanted to abduct your son, Kagawa-han?"

"Noriko?" Haruka finally spoke, looking up at him, swallowing slightly. "I haven't talked to Noriko for years. Why would she have anything to do with this?"

"Because someone saw it!" Kazuha was the one who spoke up, and for a moment, glancing over towards Heiji. "Right, Heiji?"

Nodding his head, Heiji reached inside his pocket, pulling out a notepad of paper, quickly writing a few things down on it. Placing it on the table, he slid it downwards so that it could be read by his father and the twenty year old murder case suspect alike. Watching as Kagawa Haruka visibly paled upon reading the message, his hands slightly trembling, Heiji and Heizo exchanged glances.

 **'Tatsuno Noriko saw Kitagawa Rumiko's murder. Your son knows your secret, Kagawa-han.'**

"Do you have any proof of this, Heiji?" Heizo asked. He didn't doubt that his son might be on to something here- but without proof, there wasn't much that could be done.

Rubbing the back of his neck and heaving a noiseless sigh, Heiji finally shook his head. In truth, he didn't have any actual proof that he could present to his father. There was no way he could tell him that he'd deduced this much by watching a ghost act out her own death, putting on an eerie one woman play underneath the moonlight. There was no way such a thing would hold up in court either.

'I don't have proof, but I'm pretty certain I'm right, at least.'

Somehow, Heizo had a feeling that was what he was going to tell him- turning his gaze back towards Haruka, he focused it in all it's intensity on him. "I'll say it again, Kagawa-han. If there's something that you feel the need to confess to us, I would recommend that you do it soon. Considering that it's been two hours, and not so much as a ransom call has come in about your son, his life may very well be in danger as we speak."

That, at least, seemed to startle the man out of his complacency. Swallowing slowly, Haruka glanced between father and son, before heaving a defeated sigh. "It's true. Well, I don't know if it's true that Noriko actually witnessed it, but I did kill Rumiko on that night twenty five years ago." He confessed, casting his eyes downwards, unable to face the gazes that were fixed on him, trembling underneath them.

"Why would you do something like that?" Kazuha spoke up, her eyes narrowing. "She was your girlfriend!"

"I panicked!" Haruka blurted out, tearing his eyes away from the floor to look up towards her. "She told me she was pregnant! And what's more, that she was planning on keeping the child and telling everyone that I was the father! If something like that were to happen, my life would have been destroyed!"

"So you took her life instead." Heizo noted, his tone stern, a cold note lacking any form of pity for the man before him. "Not to mention the life of her unborn child."

No autopsy had ever been performed on Rumiko's body, as the investigators in charge had all but closed the case as a suicide the moment her note was found. There was no way of knowing now that if it was true that she had been pregnant at the time- the photos of her body showed no obvious signs, but if it was early on enough, such a thing wouldn't have visibly shown up in the first place.

"I didn't mean to. I wasn't thinking straight." Haruka said, slumping his shoulders, turning his attention back towards the floor. He already seemed to understand that all the excuses in the world would only fall on deaf ears here. "By the time I came to my senses, she was already dead. I ran away after that. I honestly thought that it would be the end, but..."

"It didn't turn out to be that way." Kazuha spoke up again, this time interpreting some rather rapid fire signing from Heiji, eyes burning fury down at Haruka. "When you heard that they found her body, you found out that they were investigating it as a suicide, not a murder."

"I had nothing to do with the note." Haruka stated plainly. "When I got to school the next morning and found it swarming with cops, I was ready to turn myself in... until I heard about the note."

Narrowing his eyes, chafing at his inability to speak now more than ever, Heiji grabbed his notepad again, angrily scribbling a few characters back down on it, before shoving it towards Haruka.

 **'An' then ya probably just thought, oh, lucky me! Right?'**

Unable to face the furious high school detective, Haruka gave him a slow nod. "I thought... I thought maybe I hadn't actually killed her myself. I realized after awhile I was only fooling myself, but at that point... I couldn't bring myself to turn myself in anymore. I always thought that there was something strange about the note, but I never actually expected that anyone saw it- least of all Noriko! Rumiko was her friend, so I don't understand why she would..."

From the way he trailed off, his eyes narrowing, it seemed as if he had come up with an idea as to why, a spark flashing in his mind.

"Do you have some kind of idea, Kagawa-han?" Heizo asked.

"Before Rumiko asked me out, Noriko had actually confessed to me." Haruka said, narrowing his eyes a little. "I turned her down because I didn't see her that way, but... maybe if she was still holding a grudge towards Rumiko over that, and still held feelings for me, then, maybe..."

"Then maybe she would cover for you if she saw you kill her?" Kazuha half-asked, glancing down at Heiji's hands, switching back to sign language once more. "She's been working on a mural at our school for the past two months. If she noticed your son starting to act strangely and maybe go to the roof a lot, then perhaps she thought that the secret she'd been keeping for the past twenty five years was at risk to come to light."

"And her own guilt with it." Heizo observed, narrowing his eyes. If that was the case, then Kagawa Hirota was in a very dangerous situation right now. It was hard to say if she would be willing to kill to bury the secret or not- but it made it all the more imperative to find him, and find him quickly.

"Please." Haruka spoke up, swallowing again. "Please. I'll take whatever charges you want to slap on to me, but please find my son. He's done... he's done nothing wrong."

"We'll find him." Heizo's tone was tight, as the man rose to his feet. "Is there anything you might be able to tell us about your son's behavior lately that might help? Or anything else you know about Tatsuno-han?"

"I thought my son was acting more nervous than he usually did recently, but that may just be because, as the boy there wrote," Haruka paused, briefly flickering his gaze towards Heiji and instantly regretting it- there was a fire in the boy's eyes that threatened to all but boil over. "...he had learned about what I had done in the past. As for Noriko, no, like I said, I haven't spoken to her in years. I'm afraid I don't know anything about her."

"For the moment, we'll have you stay here, Kagawa-han." Heizo told him, silently telling Heiji and Kazuha to go ahead and make their departure from the room- and that he wanted to speak with his son in private. "You will be facing charges of your own in due time, but we will put all of our efforts into locating your son."

He could only hope that he was still alive.

* * *

Speaking with Heiji could wait until discussing the current matter with his subordinates had been taken care of- though Heizo made certain to keep his son within his line of sight at all times. There was something strangely comforting about seeing him standing next to Kazuha, as he'd been getting the oddest feeling recently that his son and his childhood friend were somehow more closely linked than they usually were.

Still, he couldn't shake the sensation that there was something _different_ about Heiji- something that had been brewing within him ever since he had returned from Hokkaido two weeks ago, only more concrete, more certain now. This wasn't the time to focus on such a thing, however- his full attention needed to be directed towards locating the missing Kagawa Hirota. Hopefully, they wouldn't discover him as a corpse.

If Tatsuno Noriko were to learn that they were already aware that she might be involved in covering up Kitagawa Rumiko's murder, then there was a chance that she might move to end Hirota's life, provided that she hadn't already, in an attempt to cut all ties and run. If they moved out, they would have to do it with a degree of subtly, to ensure that such a thing wouldn't happen. They couldn't allow an innocent boy to lose his life because of a mistake on the part of the police force.

It was only once he was down with his briefing that Heizo turned his full attention towards his son, approaching where he had been waiting with Kazuha. Whatever strange feeling he had been getting from her earlier in the day was gone without so much of a trace now, he was almost glad to note. There was a trace of nervousness in her smile that Heizo couldn't quite place the reasons behind- perhaps she merely still felt awkward around him knowing that he'd caught her helping Heiji look into a case when he had all but forbidden him to do so until his throat healed.

Given the fact that his son was already well involved in this one, there was no point in chasing him out of it. If anything, an extra pair of eyes on the street looking for clues would be a boon in this case, especially ones that were as perceptive as his son's. However much he might not always express it, not wanting Heiji to get too full of himself, he did fully believe that his son had a considerable degree of talent for detective work.

'Ya have somethin' ya need ta say, old man?'

Judging from the rapid pace of Heiji's signs, it seemed that he was more than a little antsy to hit the streets in search of the missing teenager himself. Well, it wasn't as if Heizo planned to hold him up for very long.

"You had your mother worried sick yesterday when you didn't come home. Don't do that again, Heiji." Heizo noted. She had seemed to have since relaxed, calling Heizo to tell him that Heiji had in fact, swung by earlier that afternoon, and that there was nothing to worry about, but he still didn't like it when Heiji did things that made his mother worry. Given the reckless way that he often charged into dangerous cases, there was no shortage of that- and the recent incident in Hokkaido had proven that these worries were far from unfounded.

It was nothing short of a miracle that Heiji had managed to survive being strangled and falling off a cliff into a rushing river. His inability to speak properly was a stark reminder of that.

'Sorry, sorry, I just got distracted by somethin'. It won't happen again.'

Well, that was one way to put it, at the very least. He didn't feel the need to tell his father what that something was, though his gaze _did_ flicker over towards Kazuha for a moment, and he caught her giving him one of her own.

"It had better not." Heizo said sharply, opening up one eye to carefully study his son, who visibly flinched underneath his gaze. He still wasn't able to put his finger on what the source of strangeness was in regards to his son, and he didn't appreciate being left out of the loop in regards to whatever it was, knowing full well that both his wife and Kazuha alike knew the truth. "Be careful with this case, Heiji. You nearly died two weeks ago, don't rush into death again so soon. If Tatsuno-han really did kidnap Kagawa-han as the result of her own panic, there's no telling what else she might do."

'I know, I know.' Grumbling in spite of his lack of voice, Heiji's brows furrowed together, not appreciating getting a lecture from his father at this age. Granted, he did kind of have a point- although given what he'd turned into now, he doubted it would be that easy to kill him. Still, he guessed that he couldn't blame him for being worried- and was even kind of touched, really- not that he'd ever admit such a thing out loud.

"Do you really understand?" Heizo asked, for all the world looking thoroughly unconvinced. Such lessons were not ones that stuck with his son. Thinking back onto the previous cases he had gotten himself involved in, it honestly hadn't been that long since he'd been shot that he had managed to let his guard down enough to be shoved off a boat, and it hadn't been all that long after that, that he had nearly fallen off of a cliff with Kazuha. That time when he had been imprisoned with Kazuha by that corrupt lawyer had been a very near thing as well.

Too many close calls for one person, in Heizo's opinion. His son's only luck appeared to involve somehow escaping near death situations _without_ dying.

'I do. I promise I understand, old man. Is that all? Can I go now? I'd like to get started on lookin' fer Kagawa-han as soon as possible.'

He couldn't help but blame himself for allowing him to be kidnapped in the first place, and he knew that Kazuha somewhat felt the same way, even though there would have been nothing she could have done about it in that situation. He had been careless, he should have followed behind Hirota closer, that way at the very least he might have been able to get the license plate number of the car. Given the make and model, it obviously hadn't been Tatsuno Noriko's own car, but probably a rental.

He was certain his father already had officers checking ever rental car agency in Osaka, and he knew full well that was too much leg work for one person, having already told Otaki to pass him on any information he got in regards to that. Or well, he'd told him to pass it along to Kazuha, since he still hadn't gotten around to buying himself a new cellphone. Separated though they might be now, he'd need Kazuha by his side to actually _ask_ people questions, so it wasn't as if they could split up either- and very quickly, he resolved that he would put finding someone who could heal his throat on his top priority list.

Telepathy was great, and all, but it wasn't like he could use it outside of chatting with people who _already knew_ his secret, a list on which there were only three people currently- and it wasn't as if he could use it in human form anyways. He'd already checked, and that limitation was very much still in place, though at the very least, he appeared to be able to spend as much time as he wanted in it now, just as Grandmother Fox had promised.

He'd certainly gained a newfound appreciation for mute people, at any rate.

"Yes." Heizo said finally, giving his son a curt nod. "That's all, Heiji. Kazuha, I trust that you'll look after him and ensure he doesn't get himself in over his head."

"Of course!" Kazuha was quick to reply, nodding her head and giving the man a reassuring grin. Sometimes she didn't think Heiji really knew how much he worried his own parents- or anyone around him, really. He was always sort of slow to pick up on that sort of thing, not that it surprised her all that much anymore, not after knowing him his entire life. "You can count on me, Uncle Heizo! He won't be able to get rid of me even if he tries!"

And given that he kind of needed her now, she sincerely doubted that he would.

* * *

In the end, the police had been able to find the rental car company that Tatsuno Noriko had rented the car she used in the kidnapping from. Confirming that a woman fitting Noriko's description had in fact rented a car that matched the description of the one used, they had been able to connect her to the kidnapping beyond a shadow of doubt. An order had been spread for all officers to keep an eye out for a red car, the licence plate numbers having been recorded by the rental car company. She'd probably already discarded said car, but locating it would give police a place to start from.

It turned up abandoned in the warehouse district, and Heiji and Kazuha had made their way over there posthaste. By the time they got there, the scene was already swarming with investigators, checking the vehicle thoroughly for anything that looked like it could be a clue.

Since Noriko herself had failed to turn up yet, in spite of police actively- but silently, looking for her, the current theory that she was staying in one place for now- perhaps still with the kidnapped Hirota. She probably wasn't thinking very rationally, so Heizo had advised his officers to investigate the matter as quietly as they could, and not to raise a fuss- one wrong move could spell the end of Hirota's life, if he wasn't dead already.

"Did you find anything yet, Otaki-han?" Kazuha asked, not actually needing to look at what Heiji was signing to know what he was trying to ask.

"The analysts are already turning it inside out looking for clues, but we won't know more until the lab returns some results." Otaki told them, shaking his head. "Beyond that, there's no obvious signs of anything that would indicate where they are now. Of course, we've started asking around for anyone who might have witnessed them from this point onwards, but so far we haven't had any hits."

"Well, something is bound to turn up eventually, though. It's not as if she was invisible." Otaki added. "Would you like to take a look for yourself, Hei-chan?"

Giving Otaki a quick nod, the police inspector lead Heiji towards the car in question. From the rear, it definitely appeared to match the car that he had caught a glimpse of- and it appeared that the crime scene investigators had already removed some hair samples from the back of the car, and had sent them in for testing. If one of them matched the sample they'd gotten from Hirota's father, then there would be no room for doubt.

Borrowing a pair of gloves from Otaki, Heiji gave a slight frown, noticing the way his nails seemed to prick against the fabric- no latex gloves for him in the near future, he made a mental note, grateful that this pair was made of cloth. Flashing Kazuha a quick grin, he ducked into the car, pouring over the vehicle himself. The investigators really had left no stone unturned, Heiji thought to himself, as he shifted through it himself.

Still, there was at least one thing that he wanted to try.

Briefly glancing back to see what Otaki was doing, noticing that he was currently speaking with one of his fellow officers, Heiji carefully tugged off one of the gloves with his teeth. He might not be able to use anything he was about to see as solid evidence, but perhaps he could get a lead on where Noriko had taken Hirota from this point onwards. Carefully placing his bare hand against the surface of the car, he concentrated for a moment, focusing on drawing out the memory that had doubtlessly been left behind in the vehicle.

Grandmother Fox had told him that coming to accept his new nature would allow him access to abilities, and the understanding needed to use them- and this was one of those. He supposed that it would be something akin to psychometry- and as flashes of memories shot through his mind, Heiji quickly shifted through them, seeking out what he was looking for. His eyes snapping back open once he found it, Heiji quickly tucked his glove back on, grateful that nobody had seemed to notice anything.

There had been a fragment of something- a lead that he was going to follow up on posthaste. He'd chase the fragmented memories all over the damn city if he had to- nothing he saw in said flashes of memory could be used as evidence, that was true enough, but when it came to finding a missing person, the ability was probably going to become something of a boon.

"Did you find anything, Hei-chan?" Otaki asked, glancing back at the high school detective, watching as he shook his head. "Well, if we get anything back from the labs, I'll keep the two of you posted."

"He says thanks, Otaki-han." Kazuha noted, tilting her head a little. There was a strange glint to Heiji's eyes, one that told her that he'd actually gotten something from the car, but for whatever reason, was deigned to share it with the police inspector. "T-then, the two of us will be on our way."

Once they were out of hearing range, Kazuha peered over at Heiji, a curious look in her eyes. "You _did_ get something, didn't you, Heiji?"

Judging from the quick grin that graced his features, she knew that he had.

* * *

Admittedly, Kazuha had been a little baffled by Heiji's approach, as she followed behind him. Every so often he would stop and search for something, for no apparent rhyme nor reason. Once he found whatever it was that he was looking for, he'd touch it, and would then move on, either in the same direction or a new direction. Eventually, she began to devise a theory as to the reason behind his seemingly odd behavior- but when she saw that triumphant grin appear on his face, that at least, she knew everything about.

"In there?" Kazuha whispered, linking hands with Heiji, silently suggesting to him that they act casual and walk by the long abandoned office building, using Heiji's body to shield her own face from view, just in case someone was looking out of it.

Not daring to nod his head, Heiji glanced down at her, mouthing a silent 'yes' to her question. If his lead was right, then it was most likely that Kagawa Hirota was being imprisoned in that building- and not only was he likely still alive, but Tatsuno Noriko was very likely still with him. Hence, why they had to lay a bit low and act like natural, giving the building something of a wide berth. It was only once out of view of it that they relaxed a little, each letting out a breath, exchanging a grin with the other.

And it was then that they both also realized they were still holding hands. Equally flustered, they quickly snatched their hands away, tucking them behind their back.

Recovering first, Kazuha coughed slightly into her hand, pulling out her cellphone. "I'll contact Otaki-han and tell him there's a chance we might have found where Tatsuno-san is. What are you going go to do, Heiji?"

'Investigate.' Watching Kazuha open her mouth to say something, Heiji rolled his eyes. 'Idiot, not like _this_.'

Once the smoke of his transformation settled, Kazuha found herself looking down at her childhood friend, eyes meeting with those of a fox's. Blinking a little, she soon cast a smile at him, kneeling down to lightly scratch the fox Heiji behind one year. "Like that, huh. Well, it's true that an animal won't raise her suspicions. I'll be waiting right here for you to come back, Heiji, so don't get any strange ideas, okay? You have to promise."

 _Don't worry, don't worry. I promise._ Heiji was quick to reassure her, casting her the best grin that he could manage with his current face. _I'm just goin' ta go check things out fer now. Ya call Otaki-han in the meantime. I'll stay in touch with ya here._ Reaching up a paw and lightly placing it on her forehead, Heiji's grin grew somewhat, before he quickly hurried away, easily finding a place to enter the abandoned building.

There were definitely people here, he could tell that much, his ears twitching a little in response to a distant sound, his nose catching a scent in the air. Promptly following the aforementioned scent, he kept his footsteps light, carefully making his way through the abandoned building, locating the nearest staircase and making his way up them. Thankfully, nobody had locked any doors before they'd left this place to rot, so access was easy.

It was on the fourth floor that he detected a strong scent of humans, and quietly pawing at the door until it opened, he slipped onto the fourth floor proper. The scent was coming the strongest from one of the back rooms, and Heiji crept silently along, not daring to make even the slightest bit of noise. Lingering just outside the door, which he could already guess probably had been locked, he perked up his ears, listening for anything that could be heard inside.

As he thought, Tatsuno Noriko was still there.

 _She's still here, Kazuha. Tell Otaki-han that. Judgin' from the sound it, Kagawa-han's still alive, too._

Telepathy was a one way street of course, so it wasn't as if Heiji could get a response back from her. Still, he was pretty certain she'd gotten the message, and he was pretty certain she'd pass it on. Pulling Hirota safely out of this situation might not be easy, but if he knew his old man, he'd pull it off.

Hopefully with this, Heiji thought to himself, narrowing his eyes, the ghost of Kitagawa Rumiko could be put to rest.

* * *

At this point, Heizo was almost entirely unsurprised to find that his son was nowhere to be found at the scene.

The matter of Hirota's kidnapping had been resolved, and his kidnapper had long since been escorted away in a police car, once she was taken down. Although shaken and bruised, it didn't appear that the kidnapped teenager was hurt, but he'd been taken to a hospital just in case to have himself checked out. They would tell him about the issue regarding his father later, but for the moment, it could wait.

Somehow, Heizo was almost entirely unsurprised that there was a brown fox wrapped around Kazuha's shoulder, an animal that had become increasingly familiar to the man. It glanced up at him as he approached the pair, ears twitching slightly, almost seeming to exchange a brief glance towards Kazuha.

"Kazuha." Heizo nodded his head in greeting. "Where has that son of mine gone off to now?"

"W-who knows?" Kazuha said, not knowing how to tell him that he was still here, freeloading on her shoulders. Where had he picked up that habit from anyways? And he always seemed to damned comfortable there, even though carrying around his weight wasn't exactly easy- in spite of how much lighter he was as a fox. "Maybe he had something else he needed to do?"

Arching a brow at that, Heizo knew it right away for a lie- if he knew his son, and he did, then there was no way that Heiji would just simply run off somewhere else before a case had been fully resolved. "He's still somewhere around here, isn't he?" He asked after a moment, casting a glance around him- before his gaze trailed back towards the fox curled around Kazuha's shoulders, acting for all the world as if he belonged there.

"Well, who knows?" Kazuha said, realizing that she was basically just repeating herself now. There hadn't exactly been time or a good chance for Heiji to turn back into his human form, so for the moment, he'd chosen to remain a fox. "I'm sure you'd find him if you looked around a little. He's not that good at hiding."

"He's becoming better at it." Heizo couldn't help but observe. "Well, if you see him, Kazuha, make sure to tell him that he did good work today."

He couldn't help but notice the way the fox perked up at that, a familiar light dancing in those blue eyes. Blue, Heizo thought, was a very strange color for a fox.

"He's _still_ suspended from working on further cases, however."

He could have _sworn_ the otherwise noiseless fox attempted to growl at him upon hearing that.

* * *

"You really _should_ tell him, Heiji."

The betrayed looking glower that she received from her son was more than enough to tell Shizuka how he was feeling. As relieved as she was to see that the matter between him and Kazuha from earlier had been properly sorted, it had gotten her to thinking about how much easier that whole situation would have been if Heiji had been a little more truthful with his father earlier.

Granted, she had been in support of the idea of not telling Heizo at first- but only because she wanted to give her son a chance to relax a little before he had to dive into telling his father. She knew that the relationship between the two of them was not always that great- Heizo wasn't all that great at communicating things outside of work, and Heiji constantly missed his father's more subtle cues of parental affection. It made for something of a fractured relationship between the two of them, and at it's worst, it was almost painful for Shizuka too watch.

"Don't give me that look, Heiji. I'm being serious here." Shizuka told him, letting a small sigh escape from her lips, a slightly scolding expression on her face. "Skeptic though he might be, I'm quite certain he'd have no choice to accept the truth if you transformed in front of his face. Besides, he'll never agree to lift the ban on you helping with cases otherwise."

Of course, there was still a chance that he might keep the ban squarely in place even knowing the truth, but she wasn't about to tell that to Heiji. The recent case had been an exception mostly because Heiji had gotten involved in it before Heizo could stop him- but he'd made it rather clear that he had no intention of lifting the ban just because Heiji had proven himself useful this time. She knew that he was just worried about him, and was trying to protect him in the only way that he knew how- but she also knew that Heiji had no way of understanding that, since her husband would never just come out and tell him that.

If there was one type of deduction that her son was objectively terrible at, it was deducing other people's feelings.

"I agree." Kazuha noted, folding her arms in front of her. "Whenever you're not around, it's me he gives _that_ look to. The less I have to deal with it, the better. Besides, he's your _father_ , Heiji. Your damn fox blood probably came from his side of the family in the first place."

Grumbling as best he could at the two woman who had all but ganged up on him, Heiji narrowed his eyes, tearing his gaze away from them. Granted, they had a point, but they weren't the ones who had to tell his skeptic of a father that his only son had turned into some kind of fox youkai.

"We're not saying that you have to tell him by yourself, Heiji, the two of us will be here with you." Shizuka stated simply- before blinking, looking past her son, the color briefly draining from her face.

"Tell me about what?" Heizo asked, opening one eye to peer at his wife and son, as well as the girl who was probably going to wind up as his daughter-in-law one of these days, if he didn't miss his guess. Judging from the way his son paled slightly as he turned around to face him, he could only guess that they were discussing whatever it was that Heiji had been keeping from him these past two weeks.

"Welcome home, Heizo." Shizuka greeted him, gracefully rising to her feet and making her way over towards him. "I hear from the kids that you had quite the full day at work today."

"You needn't change the subject, Shizuka." Heizo said lightly, his gaze not shifting away from his son, who looked as if he would rather be anywhere but here. "Why don't you go ahead and tell me all about it, Heiji? I'm quite interested to know whatever it is you three have been working to try and keep from me."

As the three who had been gathered in the living room exchanged glances with each other, as if silently communicating what it was that they were going to do- Heiji eventually stood up, letting a sigh escape from his lips, rubbing the back of his neck. If his father was going to ask that directly, then nothing good would come out of concealing it further. Besides, maybe his mom was right- maybe this would get him to lift his ban on him helping to solve cases. This had been his first real case in two weeks- and now that it was over, it reminded Heiji of just how dull the previous two weeks leading up to it had been.

Besides, if this kept up, he'd completely fall behind Kudo, and he couldn't allow _that_ to happen.

'Alright, alright. If yer gonna be that insistent about it, I guess I'll tell ya, old man. Ya'd better be prepared ta be real surprised though.'

"I'm quite prepared, Heiji." Heizo stated simply, though at the mischievous grin that crossed his son's face, he couldn't help but get the impression that whatever was about to happen, it was going to be far more outlandish than he could have ever expected.

Blue, as it turned out, was indeed a strange eye color for a fox. But now that he looked at them, he couldn't help but wonder how he had managed to miss the fact that they were essentially his son's eyes, framed in a considerably different face. Were it not for his overall stoic nature, Heizo was quite certain that an expression of shock would be showing on his face right now- after all, it wasn't every day that you watched your own flesh and blood son transform from the human you had been raising for the past seventeen years, into a fox that had been lurking around the house for the past two weeks.

"I will admit," Heizo began after a moment, watching as the brown fox looked up at him with the same mischievous grin that had been plastered on his son's face just a moment earlier. "I was not quite expecting that."

Nor, he thought to himself, was he expecting to hear the sound of his son's amused laughter, all but float through his head- much less his voice.

 _I did warn ya, old man._


	11. Mermaid's Tear

AN: Sorry for the wait, but here's chapter eleven~! As promised before, we're entering a Kid heist arc, so hopefully that should be fun! As always, thank you all for reading, and I'll see you next time! Please leave a review if you can, they're what keeps the fanfic coming!

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter Eleven**

 **Mermaid's Tear**

* * *

"Heiji, you've got a letter."

At the sound of his mother's voice, the brown fox that had been sleeping curled up on the sofa perked up, his ears twitching in response to his name. Unfurling himself from his sleeping position, Heiji stretched out, feeling the last vestiges of sleep drift away from him as he let out a silent yawn. Giving his tail a twitch, he placed his paws on top of the couch cushion, peering up at his mother.

 _From who?_

"I don't know. There's an address, but it's not one that I recognize. It's all the way out in Okinawa, too." Shizuka noted, passing the letter over towards her son, who carefully took it in his mouth for lack of hands, and carefully placed it down on the coffee table behind him. "Maybe it's a request for you?"

 _Man, I hope so. It's been awhile!_

What would have otherwise been a rather bizarre scene had already become something commonplace in the Hattori household- a month and a half had already gone by almost in the blink of an eye, the family settling themselves into something of a new routine. After the initial shock of witnessing his only son transform into a fox in front of his eyes had worn off, Heizo had listened to the story with that same stern, unchanging expression on his face- even though Shizuka could tell there were any number of places that he wanted to butt in.

They had all more or less gradually gotten used to the current state of affairs, strange though they were. As she watched her son's form shift like smoke, leaving his human self in place of the fox that had just been there moments ago, Shizuka couldn't help but heave a slight sigh. In the end, his farther hadn't lifted his ban on Heiji involving himself in cases- unless, he added as an afterthought- Heiji had been _personally_ requested by someone to solve them.

In the past month and a half, he'd only gotten one other request to solve a case, so there was no doubt that he was chafing at his limitations right about now. Watching as he visibly perked up as he scanned the contents of the letter, a wide grin briefly flashed on his face- before it was replaced by a grimace, his eyes narrowing. Shortly thereafter however, he perked right back up again, almost shooting to his feet, vaulting over the couch to slam the letter down in front of his mother, pointing to it with a huge grin spread across his face.

"Yes, yes, I'll read it." Shizuka said simply, not needing to see the signs her son was making, telling her to do just that. She knew that much alone from just his body language, really.

"Dear Hattori Heiji, I am sending this letter hoping to find you in good health." Shizuka began reading. "My, how formal." Silently scanning over the rest of the letter, she quickly was able to gather why it had made her son so excited- and why he'd grimaced halfway through reading it.

It was a request pleading with him to come and protect an important jewel from being stolen by a certain phantom thief, after all- one whom she knew that Heiji had basically zero interest in. The Magician in the Moonlight, Kaito Kid.

It was also a request that contained a single postscript, helpfully informing him that they were aware of his current condition, and knew of a splendid spiritual healer who would doubtlessly help fix his throat- something that Heiji had been spending the past month or so searching for to no avail.

"It sounds a bit suspicious, doesn't it?" Shizuka asked after a moment, a slight frown on her features. "Who is this person to know about you, Heiji? Have you ever heard of them before? This... Kawamura Erika."

'Nah, I've never heard of 'em.' Heiji signed, shaking his head. 'But I'm sure it'll be fine, mom. 'Sides, it looks like her offer includes a free stay at a beach side inn in Okinawa, an' how many chances do ya get to do somethin' like that? Maybe I should bring Kazuha along with me.'

He still owed her for that whole accidental possession ordeal, after all.

Heaving a sigh, realizing that there was no way she could talk her son out of this, Shizuka merely cast him a stern look. "Alright, Heiji. But do be careful, alright? If things start looking dangerous, I want you and Kazuha to come home right away."

'I promise.' Flashing her a quick grin, Heiji carefully took the letter back from her, all but scurrying back towards his room to shoot Kazuha a message. They had finally replaced his cellphone, though it wasn't as if he could use it for more than text messages at the moment. Glancing down at the letter in his hands, he grimaced once more at the name of the phantom thief- but even as he did so, it couldn't help but fill him with no small degree of anticipation. Not for Kaito Kid, not a chance in hell, but for the off chance that the scent of the phantom thief might wind up drawing none other than his best friend, Kudo Shinichi, to the scene- and that was something Heiji was _very_ excited about.

Maybe he should get in contact with him and invite him personally- but no, if there was a chance that he would show up on his own, Heiji didn't want to spoil the surprise of him being there as well. Giving out a silent laugh, he quickly shot off a message to Kazuha, asking her if she wanted to head to Okinawa for a few days with him. The response was prompt- _of course_ she did, there was no way that she could turn down such a tantalizing offer.

It was only a few seconds later that her text was followed up by a less enthusiastic one- asking him what kind of case it was that was dragging them out to Okinawa this time. She really _did_ know him really well, Heiji thought to himself, quickly filling in his childhood friend on the details. When he got a message from her back, he couldn't help but grin all the wider, the mental image it brought up in him filling him with endless amounts of amusement.

 _'Good. I've been wanting to give that guy a piece of my mind ever since I heard he posed as Ran-chan once. I'm_ _ **definitely**_ _coming with you, Heiji.'_

With that out of the way, all that remained was accepting the invitation of this Kawamura Erika- who claimed that she was the proprietress of the inn in question, and that the target of the theft this time- a sapphire named the Mermaid's Tear, was a family heirloom that had been passed down to her from her grandmother.

In the back of his mind, Heiji half couldn't help but wonder if perhaps, they were going to wind up dealing with _real_ mermaids this time. His viewpoint on the supernatural had dramatically shifted ever since he'd become something other than human himself, it seemed. It'd probably leave Kudo reeling whenever they met next- which hopefully would be very soon, Heiji thought to himself. Just sending him text messages from time to time wasn't the same as calling him, much less seeing him in person, after all.

Well, as long as he and Kazuha didn't go tumbling over any more cliffs, it wasn't like he particularly minded the prospect of potentially dealing with mermaids again. Falling off a cliff twice was more than enough for him- and he was pretty sure that Kazuha was satisfied with the one time she had experienced it as well.

And as much as Heiji didn't really have any interest in the likes of thieves, somehow he couldn't help but be a _little_ bit excited at the prospect of possibly throwing none other than Kaito Kid for a loop. If he was going to be forced to deal with the thief in exchange for the information that he wanted, then he might as well have a little bit of _fun_ with it. He'd catch his scent no matter what- _literally_.

* * *

"Wow, what a big inn!"

"It's a little bigger than I expected." Kuroba Kaito couldn't help but observe as he glanced around the traditional inn that he had just entered with his childhood friend, who was all but dancing around the lobby in wonder. He'd looked up pictures of the place, but it appeared that they hadn't quite done the inn justice- it was a good thing he'd decided to come here in advance to check the place out himself, then.

Okinawa was definitely outside of his usual area of operations, but once he'd heard whisper of the jewel in question- the Mermaid's Tear, it wasn't something that he could pass up. He'd been lucky that Aoko's father was more than happy to bring not only his daughter along on the trip, but himself as well. He'd have to remember to thank the man later, even if the Inspector wouldn't understand the true meaning behind his words.

He couldn't help but notice that for an old inn, the place seemed awfully handicapped accessible- but that was a mystery that was quickly answered as the proprietress of the inn wheeled up to greet them, a bright smile on her face. Her skin was so pale that it was nearly translucent, a stark contrast against her bright red hair, and deep blue eyes that were the kind one could drown in. She had a blanket draped over her legs, all but concealing them from view. "Ah, are you the Nakamori party? Welcome to our inn. I hope the three of you enjoy your stay here."

"Yes, we are." Finally speaking up, Nakamori Ginzo approached the woman. "I'm Nakamori Ginzo, and this is my daughter, Nakamori Aoko, and her childhood friend, Kuroba Kaito."

"It's nice to meet you all. I'm Kawamura Erika, the owner of this inn." She introduced herself, giving them a slight nod of her head. "Shall I show you to your room? And afterwards, Inspector Nakamori, I can show you everything in regards to the matter of the jewel. Really, I can't thank you for coming out all this way for me."

"No, it's no problem, ma'am. Besides, my daughter was looking forward to this trip." Nakamori confessed, glancing over towards Aoko, who gave the man an eager nod. "And it _is_ my job. Don't worry, Kawamura-san, I'll make sure that Kid doesn't get away with your grandmother's treasure."

"Thank you, Inspector." Erika smiled at him. "I actually called someone here besides you, but it doesn't appear that they've arrived just yet. I'll be sure to introduce the two of you when he does, however. And of course, you have the cooperation of the local police as well, though since we still have other guests staying at the inn currently, I would prefer their presence be as slight as you can make it."

In the back of his mind, Kaito could only hope that she didn't mean either Hakuba Saguru or Edogawa Conan- the coming heist was already complicated by the fact that he wouldn't be able to use his hang glider- the inn was only one story high, not high enough for him to safely use his so-called white wings. He'd have to think of another way to escape, but given that he still had two days before the heist itself, he had plenty of time to think, and plenty of time to explore the inn and set things up before then.

Of course, if the other person that she had mentioned was in fact either one of the detectives in question- be it the high school one or the pint sized one, that would make things all the more complicated for him. Still, he wasn't the one who had taken up the mantle of the legendary thief, Kaito Kid, for nothing- that would be nothing that he couldn't work around.

"Do you think we could see the jewel too, dad?" Aoko asked, quickly catching up to her father, missing the way that Kaito perked up at the question.

"That would be fine." Erika told her, glancing back at the young girl with a fond smile. "It's usually on display anyways. We've only put it away now because of the heist notice."

"On display?" Aoko asked.

"Yes." Rolling her way down the hall, Erika turned her attention back in front of her. "It's the main attraction of our mermaid museum, in fact. My late husband started it. It collects mermaid memorabilia from all of the over world. Well, it's more like a collection of things he found interesting, rather than a proper museum, but there's many people who come here just to see it."

"Was your husband fond of mermaids?" Kaito asked.

"You could say that." With a slightly coy grin on her face, Erika came to a stop in front of one of the rooms, carefully sliding the door open, before pushing her wheelchair away from the entrance. "This is your room. I hope the three of you enjoy your stay, in spite of the upcoming Kid trouble."

"Aoko's certain that we will!" With a bright smile on her face, Aoko hurriedly made her way into the room. "The room's big as well! This is a really nice inn, Kawamura-san!"

"Thank you. It was my husband's pride." Erika told her with a slight smile. "I work hard to keep it that way, now that he's no longer with us. Well then, I'll let the three of you get settled in. Nakamori-san, if you want to meet me in about half an hour in the main lobby, I can show you to the room where we're keeping the Mermaid's Tear for the moment, and we can discuss things from there."

"Ah, yes." Giving the woman a small nod of his head, Nakamori watched as she carefully slid the door shut behind her, leaving the three of them alone for the moment. "But I wonder who this other person that she called over is. I didn't hear anything about that before." He added with a slight frown.

"Maybe it's Hakuba-kun?" Aoko ventured, catching the slight gagging look that Kaito made out of the corner of her eye. "Come now, Kaito. Don't be like that! We haven't seen him in awhile, after all!"

"Yes, yes." Giving his childhood friend a slight nod of his head, Kaito placed his bag down on the floor. Quite frankly, he was hoping for almost anyone _but_ the likes of Hakuba Saguru. Even that pint-sized Edogawa Conan could would be preferred, really.

* * *

"So is this is the Mermaid's Tear?" Inspector Nakamori was the one who had spoken up, as he looked over the jewel in question, that Erika was currently holding in her hands. It had been placed on a necklace chain, the gold color of it dancing a little underneath the lights overhead. "It really does look like a teardrop."

"Doesn't it?" Erika told him, carefully folding the large, teardrop shaped sapphire into her hands, holding it close to her. "It was very precious to my grandmother. You could say it's the final thing that she left to me in this world, so it's quite precious to me as well. So I'm certain you can understand why I'm worried about it being taken."

"Of course." With a firm nod of his head, Nakamori watched as she carefully placed it back in the safe she had been keeping it in. He hadn't quite caught the studious way Kaito had observed her when she opened the safe, though part of his view had been obscured by her wheelchair. "And do you always keep it in this safe at night?"

"Yes." Erika said. "Of course, normally at this hour, it would be on display in the museum, but we've been keeping it in here as a precaution ever since we got the notice."

"But what a pretty sapphire!" Aoko spoke up, unable to help but smile. "Do you know? Aoko was named after sapphires herself."

"Is that so?" Erika asked, giving her a slight smile. "What a lovely name."

"Where did your grandmother get it from in the first place?" Kaito asked, unable to help but be a little bit curious. Under the light of day, it was impossible to tell if it was the gem that he was looking for- but in two days, the moon would be just right to check it out- and that was when he planned to strike.

"You could say that she got it from her lover, in a sense." Erika told him- and he was unable to help but notice the slightly strange edge that her smile held. He wasn't able to question it, however, any further questions that he might have cut off by a knock on the door.

"Your other guests have arrived, ma'am."

"Ah, thank you. Sorry, you three, I'll be right back." With a slight incline of her head, Erika wheeled her way out of the room, leaving the three of them behind. As she made her way to the lobby, a bright smile lit up across the young woman's face, as her eyes fell on the pair that had gathered in the front entrance. It was hard to mistake the youth that she had called here for anyone else, after all.

"Welcome to our humble inn, Hattori-san." Bowing her head, Erika smiled up at him, glancing over towards the girl who stood by his side, before turning her attention back towards him. "Thank you for responding to my letter so promptly. When I heard a certain rumor on the wind, I thought that you would come." Her gaze flickering to the scarring around his throat, she quickly spoke up once more. "I actually happen to understand Japanese sign language quite well, incidentally."

'Well, I'm glad ta hear that.' Flashing the woman a broad grin, Heiji cocked his head slightly to one side, motioning to Kazuha with it. 'This here's Toyama Kazuha, a friend of mine. I mentioned that I was going to be bringin' her.'

"Yes, you did." Wheeling up slightly towards the pair, Erika extended her hand to them. "I'm Kawamura Erika, the current owner of this inn. I am really pleased that you could make it, Hattori-san. And you as well, Toyama-san. I can only hope that the two of you will enjoy your stay here, even with the heist matter at hand."

"It's a lovely inn." Kazuha told her, taking the hand that the woman offered and giving it a firm shake. "But is that Kaito Kid person really coming here?"

"He is." With a quick nod of her head, Erika reached a hand into her blanket, seeming to fish into a pocket, before she pulled out the notice in question, passing it towards Heiji. "He'll be arriving two nights from now, this Saturday. Ah, speaking of people having arrived, the Inspector from the head of the Kid Task Force has already shown up. I was just showing the Mermaid's Tear to him and his daughter, and her friend."

'Is he here on a family outing, or here to capture a thief?' Heiji couldn't help but quirk a brow, passing the notice card briefly over towards Kazuha to free up his hands. Now that he got a good look at this woman, he couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't human herself- there was something different about her scent, compared to those around her. If that really was the case, then the information that she claimed to have about the healer might actually turn out to be quite valid.

And if there was one thing he was looking forward to more than anything, it was being able to _talk_ again. He'd tested it a few times, and had regretted it every time- even the faintest of voices caused his throat to burn, leaving him hacking. His father might the silent, stoic type, but for Heiji, being unable to speak was like some kind of divine punishment. For what, he wasn't sure.

"I suppose a bit of both, really." Erika said with a slight laugh. "Now then, why don't I show the two of you to your room? I made certain to choose the room in our inn with the most privacy, for your needs, Hattori-san."

'Oh, so ya know about that, huh?' Tilting his head, Heiji couldn't help but give the woman a grin- this all but confirming his theory that she wasn't human herself. 'Thanks fer that.'

"You're quite welcome. Now then, it's this way." Erika said, turning her wheelchair around and heading down the hall, the sound of the pair's footsteps letting her know that they were following her. She'd heard a rumor that the one known as Hattori Heiji, one of the two famous high school detectives residing in Japan, had entered the hidden side of the world- and one look at his eyes was enough to tell her that it was very true. It was good that she had reached out to him, she thought to herself, unable to help but spare a glance back at the rope scarring around his neck.

She knew what it was like to be voiceless, after all.

"Here is your room." Sliding open the doors, Erika smiled at the pair as they made their way into the room. It was the room at the furthest end, where hardly anyone would notice if someone entered as a human, and left as something other than one. "If you would like, I could go ahead and guide the two of you to see the Mermaid's Tear?"

'Yeah, that would be great. I should probably go say my greetings to this Nakamori guy too. What about you, Kazuha?'

"Ah, I'll stay behind for the moment, Heiji." Kazuha told him, carefully setting her bag back down. "I promised my mom and yours to call them when we got to the inn, after all."

'Ah, that's right, ya did.' Nodding his head, Heiji set down his own bag, carefully retrieving the small notebook he'd started carrying with him and a pen, tucking them both in his pockets, before turning back towards Erika, flashing her a wide grin. 'Looks like it'll just be you an' me then, Kawamura-han.'

"Very well then. I'll show you the way, Hattori-san." Wheeling a bit ahead of him, Erika spared a glance back towards the young man. He wore his human form well for one who had only become a youkai around a month ago, she thought to herself- but given that he was a former human himself, it was really no small surprise. "And don't worry. However this heist turns out, I'll give you the information that you came here seeking. I'm not a cruel woman, after all."

'Oh, that's mighty kind of ya. But don't worry, Kawamura-han. I don't intend ta let anyone make off with your precious jewel.'

"Well, I've heard good things about you Hattori-san, so I'm certain that you will. Now- let's go meet everyone else, shall we?"

It wasn't Hakuba Saguru, as it turned out- or even Edogawa Conan. He actually would have expected the perpetually missing Kudo Shinichi to turn up at one of his heists again long before the one who was now in front of them, a broad grin on his face as he was introduced to the three who had been waiting.

The Osakan high school detective, Hattori Heiji.

Even if they had never met before, his was a face that was hard to miss in a crowd. The first time he'd heard about him had actually been from Hakuba himself- it seemed that the two of them had met each other on a case, and that said case had left Hakuba with plenty to say about the aforementioned Osakan detective. It was a rather mixed review, all things told. Heiji had been described to him as being hotblooded and impulsive- as well quite athletic, and above all, _loud_.

Or at least, that's what Hakuba had said. The Hattori Heiji that he was meeting today however, was completely silent, actually. It only took one look at the rather nasty looking scars that entangled his neck to guess _why_ that was, and for a brief moment, Kaito felt his own hand straying up to his throat. He wasn't quite certain what had happened to Heiji in the time between when Hakuba first met him and now, but it couldn't have been anything pleasant.

"Oh so you're Hattori-kun, are you?" Nakamori spoke up, offering the young man his hand. "I've heard quite a bit about you before from Inspector Megure."

Taking Nakamori's hand and giving it a quick shake, Heiji carefully pulled out a notebook from his back pocket, flipping it open to a page where a message had already been written in advance. **Nice ta meet ya.**

Blinking slightly as the notebook came out, Inspector Nakamori nevertheless seemed to go along with it, before glancing over towards the two behind him. "This is my daughter, Nakamori Aoko, and her friend, Kuroba Kaito. If you pardon me asking though, Hattori-kun, has something happened to your voice?"

Scratching the back of his head, Heiji flipped to a different page in the notebook- Kaito couldn't help but get the feeling that this was something he had cause to explain any number of times, and was getting more than a little sick of it. As he displayed the pre-written message, Kaito couldn't help but notice the slight way Heiji's eyebrow twitched as the gazes of everyone in the room fell on the scars around his throat. **I got injured durin' a case, so I can't talk anymore. Don't worry too much about it.** And then, after a brief pause, he flipped to yet another page, and yet another message written out in advance. **I don't suppose ya know sign language?**

As the three glanced between them, and slowly shook their heads, Heiji let out a long, exasperated sigh. Well, of course they didn't. Most people didn't.

"I was just going to show Hattori-kun the Mermaid's Tear." Erika spoke up, wheeling her way back towards the safe, carefully opening it back up again. Having angled himself in a different position, Kaito carefully cast his eyes towards it, hoping that the action didn't draw too much attention from the high school detective who had unexpectedly joined them.

Well, if he had to be honest, the chance to square off with a different detective than usual actually kind of excited Kaito- what sort of person was this Hattori Heiji? He was more than a little bit excited to find out. Any guy who could ruffled Hakuba's feathers to such an extent sounded like an interesting guy in Kaito's book.

Regardless of whatever kind of injury he had endured, it didn't seem to slow him down any- and as much as not having a voice meant that he could call for backup, it didn't mean he should let his guard down around him. He'd heard that he was a demon when it came to kendo, and according to Hakuba, he'd been able to pull himself up onto the ledge of a second story window from the ground, so just based on physical ability alone, he clearly wasn't one to be underestimated.

Kaito wasn't one who cared for pain all that much, after all. His cheek _still_ throbbed sometimes from where that female detective had drop kicked him.

Still, there was something odd about him. Kaito thought, pulling his eyes away from the safe once it was opened again, and the Mermaid's Tear was removed once more. He couldn't help but notice the strange way his nails had been sharpened when he held up the notebook, and then there was the matter of the detective's eyes- there was something about the pupils that was somewhat _off_. He didn't think either Aoko or her father noticed, but ever since he'd taken up his father's secret trade, he had a tendency to carefully study the faces of people he met, and it was something that he picked up on right away.

It was the shape of the pupils, Kaito thought- they were abnormally thin, as if they'd retracted in the light. Had they always been that way?

Catching the one introduced to him as Kuroba Kaito looking at him, Heiji cast an eye over towards him, watching with a slight frown as he averted his gaze the moment he did. He couldn't help but be struck at how much of a resemblance this guy held to Kudo- although he knew at once that it wasn't him, from his scent alone. Come to think of it, that Aoko girl looked a little bit like Ran as well- that was pretty weird, but nothing that really caught his attention all that much.

Tucking his notebook back in his back pocket as Erika turned her full attention back towards him, to his surprise, offering the sapphire in question for him to take, Heiji carefully took it in his hands, letting out a low whistle. He couldn't help but wonder how much something like this would be on today's market- it was pretty impressive, all things told. The gold chain that it was on alone was probably worth a pretty penny.

Passing the necklace back to it's owner, he quickly flashed her a few signs. 'So that's the Mermaid's Tear? It's really somethin'.'

"Thank you, Hattori-san." Erika told him with a small smile, before she carefully put it back in the safe again. "It's my treasure, after all."

'It's not a real one, is it?' Heiji asked, quirking a brow. Well, it was probably for the best that the other three couldn't understand sign language. He could ask whatever questions he wanted in it.

Lifting her hands in response, Erika signed back at him. 'Yes, it's real. That's why I can't afford to lose it. I'm sure you can understand that much, Hattori-san.'

'I got it, I got it.' Giving the woman a quick mock salute, Heiji flashed her a wide grin, before he plucked the notebook from his back pocket again, glancing over towards the Inspector. This time fetching his pen as well, he quickly opened it up to a blank page and began writing.

 **Then, why don't we chat about some stuff, Inspector Nakamori?**

* * *

At the sound of a sliding door opening up, Kazuha cast a look behind her- before she let out a long sigh, an almost exasperated look crossing her face. Realizing that he'd been caught, the brown fox froze in place for a moment, before turning his head back to look towards her, giving his best impression of a sheepish grin that he could manage with that face.

"Where are you going looking that, Heiji?" Kazuha asked, scooting around and folding her arms in front of her, giving her childhood friend a rather stern look. Honestly, when she'd learned that he could take his human form whenever he wanted to now, she had _assumed_ that she was going to see him in it more often- and while that was true, it was also just as true that Heiji still spent a considerable amount of his time in the form he was in now- which she supposed was probably something akin to his _real_ form now.

 _I was just goin' ta look around the inn._

"As a fox?" Kazuha asked, raising her brows. "Don't you think the other guests will think that's a bit weird?"

 _It's fine, it's fine. The owner already knows already._ Heiji tried to reassure her, his expression now resembling something of a pout- and frankly, Kazuha couldn't believe how easy it had gotten to read the facial expressions of a fox, even one that _was_ also her childhood friend. _If ya just tell people I'm yer pet, nobody will think it's that weird._

"No, they totally will." Kazuha said frankly, before heaving a sigh and getting to her feet. "At the very least, let me come with you so nobody mistakes you for a wild animal and tries to chase you out."

 _Oh, thank ya, Kazuha!_ With a slight wag of his tail, a rather pleased expression crossed Heiji's face. _Let's go, let's go. There's a chance that that Kid guy could already be here among the guests, so I want ta try an' gather as many scents as I possibly can. If I've got this kind of nose, I might as well put it to work!_

"And how did you manage to capture the legendary phantom thief, Kaito Kid, Hattori-kun?" Kazuha spoke up, imitating herself holding a microphone, before following it up with her best impression of Heiji. "Oh well, all I had ta do was just sniff him out, ya know?"

 _Yer hilarious, Kazuha._ Casting a dry look up towards his childhood friend, Heiji scampered off ahead of her somewhat, leaving her to quicken her pace to keep up with him. _I'd never say somethin' like that out loud, idiot._

"You can't say anything out loud, _idiot_." Kazuha observed, quirking a brow.

 _Well, that's true._ Heiji admitted after a moment. _But hopefully that should change soon, if the information that Kawamura-han has is really good! I could get my voice back, Kazuha!_

"Well, I sort of have missed hearing it come out of your actual _mouth_." Kazuha noted, folding her hands behind her. "Well, don't get me wrong, Heiji, if this all works out, I'll be happy for you. Still, be careful. You've never dealt with Kaito Kid before, and we don't want your secret getting out either."

 _It'll be fine, it'll be fine!_ With a twitch of his tail, Heiji hurried on ahead, leaving Kazuha trailing behind. Catching a whiff of a scent that he somewhat knew, he turned the corner, all but coming face to face with that Kaito guy from earlier. Visibly startled at the sudden appearance of the fox, the jumped backwards somewhat, before he let out a slight sigh, placing a hand on his chest.

"That surprised me." Kaito blinked, staring down at the brown fox with curious eyes. "How did you get in here anyways? And where did you come from?" Were there even foxes in Okinawa? Honestly, he couldn't remember. From the way it sat down in front of him, slightly tilting it's head and twitching it's tail, at the very least, it didn't seem like it was a wild animal, but-

"Ah, sorry, he's mine!" Coming around the corner, Kazuha carefully scooped up Heiji, ignoring the slight mental grumble of protest that it earned her. "Come now, Hei-chan, you can't just run away from me like that! What if this young man here had thought you were a wild animal?"

"Ah, no, it's okay." Kaito said, lifting up his hands, giving the girl a small smile. "He's your pet? You don't normally see people keeping foxes. If you're worried about people thinking he's a wild animal though, why don't you put a collar on him?"

Whoa, that was _one hell_ _of a face_ that suggestion earned him from the fox- he'd never been glared at with such venom by animal before. What was even more confusing though, was the amused grin that the suggestion earned him from the girl who carefully held the brown fox in her arms, making sure that it couldn't squirm away from her.

"That's certainly true! Maybe a collar would be a good idea? Right, _Hei-chan~_?" Casting a devilish smirk down at the currently captive fox, Kazuha couldn't help but relish in the mental curses that earned her, her head all but filled with the sound of Heiji's protests to that very idea. He sounded so indignant- it was cute, really. "But yes! Hei-chan here is a _very special_ fox, and I guess you could say that he's something like my pet."

Again, Kaito didn't miss the amusement that laced her words, nor the mischievous stare that she gave the fox in question as she spoke. Which was... weird, honestly, but who was he to judge the relationship between an owner and their pet?

Still, judging from the girl's accent- not to mention the name she'd given to her pet...

"This is a bit of an odd question, but did you by chance come here with that Hattori Heiji guy?" Kaito asked.

"Ah, yes, I did." Slowly nodding her head, Kazuha blinked, wondering who this guy might be- before it clicked. "Ah, you must be that childhood friend of Inspector Nakamori's daughter! The owner mentioned something about you earlier!"

"Yes, that's me." Giving her a quick smile, Kaito snapped his fingers, allowing a vivid orange rose to appear from within them. "I'm Kuroba Kaito, at your service. Might I have the pleasure of your name, miss?"

If she had come here with _tantei-han_ , Kaito thought to himself, he might be fun to use her face for the coming heist. After all, even though it had become something of a close call in the end, it had been great fun taking on the face of that Mouri Ran girl that one time- sometimes he was half tempted to try it again, now that the Conan boy showed up more often at his heists.

Well, there was also the possibility of using _tantei-han's_ face in and of itself, but if he did something like that, he wouldn't be able to enjoy a match with him. Disguising himself was someone with a completely different skin color might be a bit challenging as well- not to mention replicating the scars around his neck. The biggest challenge would be copying those strange eyes of his, though. It wasn't impossible, but it might very well be more trouble than it was worth.

"I'm Toyama Kazuha." Kazuha told him with a smile, unable to keep a smile off of her face at the sudden magic trick, carefully taking the rose from him. "I'm Heiji's childhood friend, and he invited me along with him to come here."

"I see. It's the same with me and Aoko, then." Kaito told her. "By the way, is that Hattori-kun not around right now?"

"Yes, he stepped out a little bit earlier." Kazuha told him, slowly nodding her head. There was no way she could tell him that he was here, currently contemplating biting Kaito, judging from the angry twitching his tail was doing. _Please don't put your hand anywhere near him_ , she couldn't help but silently think to herself, half certain Heiji would do it, too, if given half the chance. "Did you need something from him?"

"Ah, no, I was just wondering, that's all." Kaito told her, shaking his head. Well, the less he directly interacted with Heiji before the heist, the better, he thought. Hakuba, had in the end, begrudgingly admitted that the western high school detective was quite skilled, after all. "Those are sure some scars around his neck though. Do you mind if I ask what happened?"

"He was strangled. Among other things." Kazuha told him. "They're not really as bad as they look, really."

"Strangled?" Kaito blinked, making a slight face. Had _Hakuba_ ever been strangled? He'd never mentioned it, if that were the case. "Being a high school detective must be dangerous work."

"Especially when the high school detective in question is _Heiji_." Kazuha said with a long sigh, shooting a slight glower down at the fox in her arms. He barely seemed to be paying attention to her though, his ears twitching as if he'd caught a sound that neither of them could hear- before he quickly broke free of her grasp, making a break for the lobby. "Ah, wait a second, Hei-chan!"

By the time she reached the lobby, she already knew why he'd darted off in such a hurry just by the sound of the girl's voice.

"Oh? Conan-kun, don't you think this fox looks a lot like Hei-chan?"


	12. Crossing Paths

AN: Chapter twelve is here! I hope everyone enjoys it! Don't forget to take some time to give me a little bit of feedback via a review, if you can- they're really what helps keep me motivated, and keeps me going (and the same can be said of every other fanfic author, so go shoot your other faves a review too while you're at it!). Anyways, thanks for reading! Until next time!

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter Twelve**

 **Crossing Paths**

* * *

"Oh? Conan-kun, don't you think this fox looks a lot like Hei-chan?"

At the sight of the brown fox and that all too familiar grin that it sported, Conan could almost feel himself let out a loud groan. From the excited wagging of the canine's tail, the way it was practically brimming with said emotion, that gleam he knew all too well from Heiji's eyes, he was begrudgingly forced to come to the conclusion that the strange events that had occurred in Seishina had in fact, been _real_.

And he'd been doing such a good job of convincing himself that Hattori Heiji turning into a fox was just some kind of weird dream that he had. Considering that he hadn't _seen_ him for the past month and half, only exchanging the occasional text message, he'd been doing a pretty good job of it. But with the fox in question right in front of his face, an unmistakably Heiji-like expression written over it's canine features, Conan had no choice but to once again, face reality.

More importantly, what the hell was he even doing here?

"I think that's because it _is_ Hei-chan, Ran-neechan." Conan told her, not missing the brief way Heiji's tail twitched in response to the impromptu name that Kazuha had thought up for him back at the village- a twitch that _wasn't_ one of excitement. He'd have to remember that for later, he mentally noted, locking eyes with the fox. Even that didn't seem to hamper the excitement that the animal was feeling, that much clear as day.

 _Oh, Kudo, it's been awhile! What's that look on yer face fer? Don't tell me ya forgot all about me!_

Ugh, that's right. Making a face in spite of himself, Conan fought back the urge to groan again. He'd completely forgotten this was a thing that Heiji could do now. Hearing the Osakan's bright voice ring out in his head half threatened to give him a headache, however much he was actually happy to see his friend again. Even if said friend wasn't even _human_ anymore.

"Eh? Do you two know this fox from somewhere?" The third member of their party finally spoke up, the girl glancing between Ran and Conan. "But how cute! You don't normally see foxes this docile... is it someone's pet perhaps?"

At the way Heiji's tail twitched again at the mention of the word 'pet', Conan couldn't help but grin, turning to the girl who had spoken. "That's right, Sonoko-neechan! He's Kazuha-neechan's pet! She picked him recently!"

"Kazuha...?" Sonoko blinked, before a look of realization crossed her features. "Oh, that girl from Osaka! Then, if her pet is here, does that mean she's here?"

"Hey now, Hei-chan! You can't just run off like that!" Kazuha puffed out her cheeks as she made her way into the lobby, answering Sonoko's question with just her presence. Just as she had thought from the voices alone, it appeared that he really had run off to greet none other than Ran and Conan- and Ran's other friend, whose name briefly escaped her, before she recalled that it was Sonoko. "It really is you, Ran-chan! I thought it was your voice that I heard!"

"Kazuha-chan!" Letting out a delighted sound, Ran quickly made her way over towards her friend, taking her hands in her own. "It's been awhile! What brings you and Hei-chan all the way out here to Okinawa?"

"Ah, Heiji got a request to come out here." Kazuha told her, a slight smile crossing her features. "So he invited me to come out here with him. I was worried about leaving Hei-chan on his own, since it hasn't been long since I took him in, so I brought him with me."

"A request?" It was Sonoko who spoke up this time, a curious look in her eyes. "Isn't this Heiji person a high school detective too? You know, like your husband, Ran?" Ignoring Ran's protests that Shinichi was in fact, _not_ her husband, Sonoko turned towards Kazuha. "Is he possibly here about the Kid heist?"

"That's right. He was asked by the owner of this inn to help protect the jewel that he's targeting this time. Well, normally Heiji doesn't really care about thieves, but he got a pretty nice offer from Kawamura-san, so he decided to accept the job." Kazuha told her, giving the girl a small smile. "Are you three here for the heist as well?"

"Of course!" It was Sonoko again who responded, a bright smile crossing her face- before it dulled a little, as she cast a glance towards Conan. "Well, it _was_ just supposed to be me and Ran at first, but this little four eyed brat had to go and invite himself."

"Come now, Sonoko, don't be that way! I couldn't just leave Conan-kun all by himself." Ran said, a slight frown on her face. Her father was out on an adultery investigation, so there was nobody at the detective agency right now. "Besides, it's the more the merrier, right? I don't usually get many chances to come all the way out to Okinawa, after all! The last time we came out here was for that television program."

Out of the corner of his eyes, Conan caught another slightly angry twitch of Heiji's tail as he recalled how _that_ had turned out. Stepping over to join him, excusing himself from the girls for a second, Conan carefully stood next to him, taking a moment to study what had become of his best friend and rival. Keeping his voice low, not wanting to be caught dead casually chatting up a fox as if he were expecting it to respond to him, Conan finally decided to acknowledge him.

"I see you're still a fox, Hattori."

 _I see yer still seven, Kudo._

"Touche." Conan remarked, unable to help but raise a brow. He thought he'd gotten slightly used to this back in Seishina, but the whole thing was still rather strange to him. "You coming out for a Kid heist is unusual. Is your father still banning you from working on other cases?"

 _Well, that's part of it._ The sigh he let out was purely a mental one, though his expression somehow still managed to look exasperated to match it. _But the innkeeper told me in her letter that she knows someone that might be able ta fix my throat, so I came over right away. That's_ _ **more**_ _than worth dealin' with some flamboyant weirdo._

"I'm pretty sure you don't really have the ground to stand on to call _anyone_ weird, Hattori. Look at yourself, why don't you." Conan noted, glancing down at him- before playfully reaching out a hand to pet his head, deciding to use this chance to get a bit of revenge. Heiji was _always_ ruffling his hair against his protests, so now he was going to pay him back in full. It was a bit nice, temporarily being the taller of the two. "But your throat still hasn't healed yet?"

Shaking Conan's hand away and shooting his friend a dirty look, Heiji's ears flicked in response. _It's not gonna heal on it's own ya know. Frankly, I'm startin' ta get ta my wits end about it. I don't really care fer not bein' able ta talk, it's a serious pain in the ass._

"Conan-kun!" Ran's voice caught their attention, and Conan couldn't help but notice the way that Heiji's ears perked up at the sound of it, flicking back a little bit. "I'm going to get the three of us checked in, okay?"

"Okay! I'll stay here with Hei-chan! Maybe Heiji-niichan will join us soon?" Conan asked, sparing a brief glance down towards the person in question. The fox simply seemed to roll his shoulders, not giving him any concrete answers.

"By the way, where _is_ Hattori-kun, Kazuha-chan?" Ran asked, glancing around the lobby, as if half expecting to find him. "Is he not with you?"

"Ah, Heiji stepped out for a bit." Kazuha told her quickly. Given how bad Ran was with supernatural stuff, she wasn't quite certain how she would react to learning that Heiji had been transformed into some kind of fox youkai- and that he was right there in the lobby with them, in the form of a fox. Well, she doubted she'd be scared, since they were talking about _Heiji_ after all, but it might be more trouble than it was worth, especially since Heiji still planned to return to being human at some point. "He should be back sometime soon though!"

"Then, I'll just have to give him my greetings later." Ran said with a slight frown. "Ah, but that's right, Kazuha-chan. Has Hattori-kun started speaking again yet?"

"No." Shaking her head, Kazuha cast a rueful look back in his direction. "It doesn't seem like he'll be able to talk for awhile yet now. It's sort of frustrating him."

"I imagine it would. Hattori-kun always seemed so chatty." Ran recalled, before a slightly sly grin crept it's way onto her face, and she leaned over towards Kazuha, dropping her voice. "But, Kazuha-chan. You know that you could use this situation to become even closer to him, right? That way confessing to him would be a cinch!"

 _Well, we've actually already gotten closer than I ever thought possible._ Kazuha couldn't help but think to herself, briefly recalling the incident in question, even as her cheeks flushed slightly at Ran's suggestion. Among the things that she felt as if she shouldn't tell her, letting her now that there had been a brief period of time in which Heiji had essentially shanghaied her body was _not_ among them. The less people who knew about that incident, the better. Dropping her own voice, hoping that it was quiet enough that Heiji couldn't pick it up, she responded. "I can't do something like that, Ran-chan. I don't want Heiji to feel like I'm taking advantage of him, you know? He's in rough spot as it is already."

"Well, I suppose that's true." Ran admitted after a moment. "Well, hopefully Hattori-kun's voice will come back to him before long. It's only been a month, after all."

"I hope so." Kazuha told her. If everything worked out for him, maybe it would even be soon. If she didn't constantly hear it drift into her head, she was half worried that she would forget the sound of it. "Now then, Ran-chan, let's get you checked in! You'll really like the innkeeper here, she's really a nice lady!"

Watching as Kazuha escorted the other two girls away, leaving Conan and Heiji behind, the pair exchanged a look. _So? Ya came fer the Kid heist too, it sounds like._ It looked like his intuition was right on the mark- he was right to try and surprise him. That look of shock that had crossed his face as his eyes fell on him- that was the kind of thing he couldn't help but live for. Briefly wondering if his new nature had caused his own mischievous streak to grow, Heiji put such thoughts aside, unable to find it in him to care all that much.

"Well, it was more because of Sonoko than anything else." Conan admitted. "Normally outside of that old man's requests, I don't really have that much to do with Kid. But well, since we're here, I guess I might as well look into the matter." He didn't have to admit, the opportunity to chase Kid together with his rival did intrigue him. Such a thing had never happened before. "Interested in working together with me, Hattori?"

 _That's a stupid question. Of_ _ **course**_ _I am._ Heiji told him, a hint of a mischievous grin crossing his face. _I'm gonna sniff that bastard out an' give him a real surprise._

"Do you mean that _literally_ , by any chance?" Conan couldn't help but ask, quirking a brow.

 _Completely._

"Ah." Came Conan's short response, letting a slight sigh escape from him. To be perfectly honest, he was still having trouble wrapping his head around this whole concept. "Honestly, I really was _trying_ to convince myself that all of that was a dream. How _are_ you getting along anyways, Hattori? You seem fine, all things considered."

 _Yeah, I'm fine. Ya don't have ta worry about me._ Heiji told him, standing up, his tail contently swishing behind him. It was probably for the best that he didn't go too deep into the details of just how fine he was, knowing that it might not be something his friend could grasp that easily. _Why don't we talk more in my room, Kudo? Ya don't want people ta think yer some kind of weirdo, talkin' ta a fox like ya are, right?_

"Yes, please." Conan told him, glancing about the lobby to make sure that nobody was listening to them. It didn't appear that was the case, and even if there were, he was pretty sure Heiji would have picked it up long before him- those ears of his could hear things better now than his own could. "I'd rather not gain a reputation as the fox whisperer."

At the sound of Heiji's laughter floating through his head, Conan couldn't help but think that this was going to be anything _but_ a relaxing trip to the beach. And he _still_ had Kid to deal with.

* * *

Kaito had lingered around the lobby's edge just long enough to see who it was that had so caught the attention of the curious brown fox, but not nearly long enough to see the one known as the Kid Killer begin a _friendly conversation_ with the aforementioned fox. Once he'd established who the group of three familiar faces were that had entered through the inn's doors, he'd all but bolted for his room, not relaxing until he had slid the door shut behind him, blessedly finding himself alone.

Not only would he be dealing with the Osakan high school detective, Hattori Heiji, but it also appeared that he would be dealing with that pint sized detective- Edogawa Conan. What's more, judging from the way that the Kazuha had greeted that Ran girl who he'd come to think of Conan's very ineffectual babysitter, it was very likely that _tantei-han_ and _tantei-kun_ knew each other. Which meant it was _very likely_ that they would end up working together.

At this point, he half expected Hakuba to show up, and could only pray that he didn't. Two detectives, one whom he already knew was of the rather bothersome sort, and one who he knew far too little about for his own comfort, was more than enough. Even Inspector Nakamori, amidst his bumbling, could prove to be something of an effective police officer from time to time. What's more, he would be staying in the same inn as them, wearing his own face, using his own name. In other words, the situation was far less than ideal.

But then again, that was also what made it interesting.

Taking in and letting out a long breath, Kaito found a grin working it's way onto his features, feeling the tug of anticipation pulling at him, a sense of excitement that he hadn't had in a long time. As Kaito Kid, he'd gotten out of trickier situations than this before- and now that he had a moment to calm down, and collect his thoughts a little, he was quite certain that he could pull out of this one as well. The Magician in the Moonlight had already promised that he would make an appearance in two nights, and he was _not_ the type who broke his promises just because one more detective showed up than planned.

Besides, between the pair of them, they each had their own handicap to be factored in. _Tantei-kun's_ of course, was his small size, which never quite seemed to match up to his quick wit or clever line of thinking. If he didn't know any better, it was sometimes like someone had taken someone much older, and had turned them into a child. _Tantei-han's_ , as he'd learned, was his current inability to speak, and though Kaito felt a brief tug of sympathy for him- the experience of being strangled was _not_ something he wished on anyone- it worked out for him all the better that way.

He could do this. He could more than do this, he thought to himself, his grin only growing. After all, this time he had an up close and personal view of the preparations that were going on, and could move in and out of it as he liked without rousing any suspicion. While he'd been shuffled out of the room when Inspector Nakamori and Heiji were going over the matter of the security preparations, he'd lingered outside, pretending to play with his phone, listening in. And while it was true that the Osakan detective couldn't speak, and that even one such as himself couldn't _possibly_ determine what was being written from just the sound of pen meeting paper, Inspector Nakamori had a bad habit of reading everything that was written out loud.

Well, with Conan here, the measures that had been set in place were likely to change somewhat, so he'd have to keep his eyes and ears open. Quietly though, he thought. The last thing he wanted to do was draw unwarranted suspicion his way from either of them- even if he had come here as the childhood friend of the Inspector's daughter, that wasn't enough to keep him off their suspect list, if it came to that. Well, in the worst case scenario, he could always tie himself up and lock himself in a closet, in his underwear, and claim that Kid had the _audacity_ to impersonate him. His acting skill was more than enough to sell it, at the very least to Aoko and her father. Conan and Heiji would be more doubtful, but if he played his cards right, even they would be fooled.

Still, there was _something_ about Hattori Heiji that still bothered him- a gleam in those unusual eyes of his that he couldn't quite place. As if he was holding some part of his plan back, as if he held some kind of secret knowledge that he wasn't willing to impart to the police. That was what bothered him the most, really. Kaito didn't quite care for uncertainties, not when it came to his heists, at the very least.

They certainly might provide some spice to them, but his occasional encounters with those guys were honestly more than enough spice all on their own. Until he managed to find Pandora, and deal with those guys, then he had no intention of being caught by anyone, regardless of who they were. Faintly, he wondered if they would be attracted by the jewel in question this time- there were legends surrounding mermaids in regards to immortality, after all.

With Aoko here, he hoped that wouldn't be the case. He'd keep a wary eye out for them nevertheless.

Although, for the briefest of moments, the mental image entered his head of Hakuba's reaction to learning that Hattori Heiji had succeeded in one try where he had failed time and time again- and in spite of himself, he couldn't help but snort. That, he had to admit, _would_ be amusing- just _definitely_ not worth it.

"Ah, there you are, Kaito!" Aoko's voice startled him out of his thoughts, as he spun around on his heel to face her, her eyes narrowing a little as he did. "What are you doing by yourself, laughing like some kind of weirdo?"

"I just remembered something funny, that's all." Kaito told her, a slight indignant tone to his voice. "I don't think that makes me a _weirdo_ , Ahouko."

"You're plenty weird, Bakaito!" Aoko said, her tone light in spite of her words. "Anyways, Aoko was going to take this chance to stroll along the beach. Did you want to come with Aoko, Kaito? The weather's supposed to be just right for it at this time of day. Erika-chan said so."

"Erika...?" Kaito blinked, for a moment unable to place who she was speaking of- before it clicked in his head. "When did you and the innkeeper get so close?"

"We had a good time chatting with each other after you wandered off. She's a very nice lady. Aoko thinks that she's a little bit lonely though, with her husband gone." Aoko told him. "Ah, but speaking of other people, do you want to try and invite that Hattori-kun fellow with us? Aoko's curious to know more about him! He's the one that Hakuba-kun met that one time, isn't it?"

Inwardly grimacing at the idea, but keeping such thoughts from his face, Kaito quickly shook his head. "No, no, I'm sure he's quite busy right now." Not that he had any idea _where_ Heiji had wandered off to, mind you. For all he knew, he was already on the beach. "But sure, I'll keep you company. Your father's probably too busy to anyways."

"It can't be helped. It's his job, after all." Aoko told him, pausing to fetch her hat from her luggage, before turning around on her heel, a bright smile lighting up her features. "But it's because of that same job that we were able to come to Okinawa! In the summer would have been nicer, but I suppose Aoko finally has something to thank that bothersome thief for. Now, come on, Kaito!"

"The beach isn't going anywhere, Aoko, you don't have to rush." Kaito called after her as she dashed ahead without him, unable to help but heave a sigh. He did still have some work he needed to do, but a short walk on the beach wouldn't kill him. Silently mouthing the words 'you're welcome, though' as he slid the door to their room shut, he quickly caught up with his own childhood friend.

* * *

"This conversation would be going _a lot_ faster if you didn't stop to draw hearts on every page, Hattori." Conan couldn't help but observe, glancing down at the latest message that Heiji had scribbled down and passed over towards him. Considerably more human now than he had been before, Heiji's only response was to give him one of his usual wide grins, unperturbed by the harshness of his words.

Sliding the notebook away from Conan again, Heiji scribbled down a few more words on it- this time taking an excessively long time to decorate the page with hearts, more like a lovelorn schoolgirl than a detective, as if just to rub it in. **What's wrong with that, Kudo? I'm just excited ta see ya again after so long! Besides, it's yer own fault that ya don't know sign language, really! I would've thought that** _ **you**_ **of all people would know it.**

"I know _some_." Conan glanced up at him, having quickly scanned the message. His own eyes briefly meeting with Heiji's, unable to help but notice once again the difference that they carried in them now, he heaved a slight sigh. He'd learned the signs that indicated calling for help, or asking for the police, and a few other basic signs, but as whole, this was obviously one area his rival had over him. Perhaps he should fix that. "So? Does this Kawamura-san really know someone who can fix your throat?"

Heiji had told him- written it, really, that the person in question was supposed to be some kind of spiritual healer- and Conan's brow had shot straight up at that. It sounded like some kind of fraud to him, and the fact that the innkeeper had somehow known about Heiji's condition on her own was nothing short of suspicious to him. Heiji, on the other hand, looked as if he trusted her whole-heartedly, and not just because he was eager to get his voice back either.

Well, if fox spirits were real, and people could _really_ be turned into foxes, then what other kind of strange things were out there? Whatever the answer to that question was, it felt as if Heiji was being drawn more and more into that world, and honestly, Conan was just fine leaving it to him. He'd rather not deal with more supernatural nonsense than he had to- even though he'd always be willing to lend him a hand if he ever needed it.

In a sense, maybe it was fitting that Heiji had wound up in this situation, heading down this path. He had always tended to be drawn to these kinds of cases, after all. Somewhere or another, he'd picked up a reputation for that sort of thing, and had never really been able to shake it. It had never really seemed to bother him all that much, and it bothered him even less now that his skepticism had been blown away in one, fell swoop.

 **She does, she does! Whatever the case, I'm gonna walk out of here with a name an' an address. Ya wanna come with me when I go, Kudo? I'd be happy ta have ya!**

Placing a hand to his chin in thought, Conan considered the offer. Granted, the less he had to do with this sort of thing, the better- but he also couldn't deny that he _was_ worried about Heiji. What if this spiritual healer _did_ turn out to be some kind of fraud? What if they did something weird to him? "Well, if I've got nothing else to do."

At the broad smile that flashed over Heiji's face, Conan could only grumble as he reached across the table, excitedly ruffling his hair. Apparently his earlier attempts to get payback had taught Heiji _absolutely nothing_. Granted, the number of ways he could express himself now had become limited, especially given that he appeared unable to use his- _ugh_ \- his telepathy like this.

Still, it was easier to deal with his friend when he looked like the Heiji he'd come to know- more or less, at least, he thought, his gaze once again drifting to his eyes. When he had returned to his human form upon entering their room, Conan had started a little- because when he'd turned around to shut the door behind them, there had been a brown fox sitting at the table across from him. But when he'd turned back around, his friend and rival had been sitting there, a broad grin spread out across his features.

He certainly hoped that Heiji found a way to return to being human soon, because Conan would rather _not_ get used to this. He could only imagine how Kazuha was putting up with it- not to mention his parents, since Heiji had messaged him to let them know that the both of them knew about everything now. He was having trouble imaging stern faced, straight laced Hattori Heizo coming to terms with essentially having a fox for a son now.

When the door flung open, allowing a pair of girls to enter the room, it was Conan who was the more startled of the two. Glancing across the way at Heiji's knowing grin, he quickly determined that he'd long since heard them coming, and had decided not to give him any warning. "I _knew_ they'd be in here! See, Ran-chan, I told you that you had nothing to worry about! Honestly, Heiji, if you're going to take Conan-kun away, at least give us some warning first!"

As a slightly sheepish grin crossed his face, Heiji flashed Kazuha a few signs- and these Conan _did_ know, clearly expressing his apologies in a rather casual fashion that suggested he didn't quite mean it. Glancing up at Kazuha, Conan beamed at her, slipping on his best cute child face. "It's okay, Kazuha-neechan! Heiji-niichan only came back to the lobby after you and Ran-neechan had already left!"

Knowing full well that he hadn't, and knowing full well that Conan knew that he hadn't, Kazuha still had no choice but to accept the lie. "Well, he still should have just chatted with you in the lobby and waited for us to come back. Don't you know how worried Ran-chan was when she came back and found that you were nowhere around?"

"It's alright, Kazuha-chan." Ran said, giving her friend a small smile, trying to cool her temper. "Hattori-kun was probably just excited to see Conan-kun again after all this time. I'm sure that Conan-kun felt the same way as well." Her gaze sliding over towards Heiji, they briefly strayed towards the scars that entangled his neck- before she shook her gaze away, not wanting to be rude. "It _is_ nice to see you again, Hattori-kun. I heard from Kazuha-chan that you came here for the heist?"

Watching as he flipped to a new page in his notebook, Heiji scribbled down a message for her, shoving it her way. There was a look of sympathy that flashed through Ran's eyes as he did so- and for once, he didn't begrudge it. It might bother him in other people, but she was different. **That's right! Well, normally that kind of clown doesn't really catch my interest that much, but who can pass up a free stay in Okinawa?**

"That's true. Sonoko was kind enough to invite both myself and Conan-kun." Ran told him. "Ah, you remember Sonoko, right? I think you've met her before..."

 **Briefly. I sort of recall her, more or less.** Heiji wrote, giving her a quick grin. Well, he had just seen her in the lobby, so he knew exactly who she meant, but it was better to not say that out loud. **I hope ya don't mind me stealin' the kid over here from time ta time. He's great ta butt heads with, ya know!**

"Be careful with him though." Ran chided him lightly. "I heard that Kid used a stun gun to knock him out once, after all. I'm worried that he'll try something like that again."

Given the blink of surprise that crossed Heiji's face, and the way he quickly turned to look back towards Conan, she gathered that he'd never heard that much from him. Watching as a sharp look of anger flashed through his eyes, she briefly couldn't help but worry if she'd accidentally riled up something in him that she shouldn't have.

"It's alright, really." Conan was quick to say. He didn't begrudge Kid enough to have Heiji turn his temper on him in all of it's fury- and judging from the way he was angrily scribbling something in his notebook, it was clear that this piece of information had more than ticked him off. "He only managed to knock me out for a little bit, that's all. W-wait, Heiji-niichan!"

Protesting loudly as Heiji scooped him up, tucking him underneath his arm and storming out of the room, anger scorching hot as a blazing inferno, Conan couldn't squirm free fast enough. All but slamming the door open to the room where he'd left Inspector Nakamori earlier in the day, startling the man in question, Heiji angrily stomped up to him, holding up both notebook, and small not-child.

 **Did that Kaito Kid** _ **really**_ **use a stun gun to knock this kid out?**

"Ah, that's certainly a thing that happened once, but..." Trailing off, Nakamori lowered his gaze down towards Conan, blinking slightly as he recognized him. "When did you get here, Edogawa-kun? Do the two of you know each other?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Conan reported, all but dangling from Heiji's grip. Even from his rather indignant position, he could feel the anger radiate off of Heiji's person, realizing that they had struck some kind of landmine. He was touched, really- even while at the same time, he found himself overwhelmingly concerned for Kaito Kid's safety and well being. _Normal_ Hattori Heiji at maximum anger levels was hard enough to deal with- he didn't even want to imagine what kinds of things an angry Heiji was capable of _now_.

Somewhere, in the distance, a shiver ran down Kaito's spine, for reasons he did not fully understand.

* * *

Calming Heiji down had turned out to be an entirely futile process. Oh sure, they had managed to get him to stop angrily stomping around the place, but it was clear as day that the idea of revenge- one that Conan hadn't even asked for- had firmly planted itself inside of his head, and didn't seem to be going anywhere. It didn't really help matters much once Kazuha admitted that she too, had a score to settle with Kid, secretly fuming over what she had heard about him impersonating Ran in the past- even though she hadn't even met her at the time.

Really, those two could be a lot alike.

Conan had taken a chance to get a look at the jewel in question himself. The deep blue sapphire truly suited it's name, he noted, as the innkeeper graciously allowed him to see it. She apparently did not know of his reputation when it came to dealing with Kid- but she was more than happy to show a friend of the detective she'd hired, she had said. After actually meeting the woman, his suspicions in regards to her had somewhat lessened- though they hadn't gone away completely.

She had also shown them the aforementioned mermaid museum, a simple room in the inn that had been lined with all kinds of mermaid memorabilia, from around the world. Not one to believe in such things, even Conan had to admit it was fairly interesting in it's own right- it featured everything from illustrations of the Little Mermaid fairy tale, to strange artifacts and trinkets, to a large, cautionary poster warning of man-eating mermaids. He'd caught Heiji signing something to the innkeeper then, something which had merely caused her to laugh into her hand, slowly shaking her head.

"No, no, Hattori-kun. _Hardly_."

When he had asked Heiji about it later, his friend had only just given him a slightly amused grin, before ruffling his hair again. He'd quickly changed the topic, kneeling down in front of him while he wrote something down in his notebook, turning it back around so that Conan could read it.

 **Oh, right, right. Did ya know that ya've got some kind of doppelganger, Kudo? He's runnin' around this very inn, in fact. Some other teenager who looks a lot like you.**

"Like me?" Conan blinked. "You're not going to try and tell me it's a real doppelganger, are you, Hattori? Listen, just because fox spirits are real doesn't mean-"

How Heiji managed to cut him off even when he couldn't speak, Conan would never know. But as the notebook was once again thrust into his face, he silenced his protest, eyes scanning the message. **Of course not, idiot. It's just some guy who looks a lot like ya. I thought ya'd find it a bit funny.**

"Ah." Conan said, merely arching a brow. While someone who did look enough like him to cause Heiji to remark upon it did catch his interest somewhat, he didn't think too much of it- at least, not at first. After a long moment, he paused, something finally seeming to click in his head, a few gears starting to turn- before he slowly grew pale. "Does this guy _really_ look like me, Hattori?"

 **Isn't that what I just said? Sounds a lot like ya too, in fact. Came with Inspector Nakamori's party. Called himself Kuroba Kaito.** There was a glower that came across his face as he wrote, and Conan couldn't help but wonder what the reasons were behind it- but no way in hell was Heiji ever going to tell him about that offhanded collar remark he'd made. Not a chance in hell. If he knew him like he did, then there was a high chance that the next time he was in Osaka, Conan would show up with a dog collar in hand, and a teasing grin on his face, doubtlessly getting back at him for something or the other. **What's wrong, Kudo? Do ya know him from somewhere?**

"No, it's not that." Conan told him, shaking his head, and dropping his voice to a whisper. "If someone who looks like my real self shows up in front of Ran, how do you think she'll react? Especially if he looks half as much like me as you're saying that he does, Hattori."

Blinking a little, Heiji tilted his head to one side in thought- before it too, seemed to connect with him. Jolting straight to his feet, he opened his mouth to speak- before he quickly recalled that he couldn't, and shut it again, hurriedly writing down another message in his notebook.

 **Then we'd better find Neechan fast, before she runs into yer doppelganger first, an' thinks that he's you.**

Both boys agreeing to this, Heiji quickly shoved his notebook back into his pocket. Setting out to look for Ran, as it turned out, was too little, too late- they had caught her in the lobby, dressed for a walk on the beach, when the door to the inn opened up. Conan had to do a brief double take at what he swore was nearly his spitting image walked into the inn- he barely even noticed the spitting image of Ran that was standing next to him.

As their eyes met each other, a vivid array of emotions washed across Ran's face, so much so that Kaito was having trouble placing them all- was that happiness? Genuine surprise? Anger, he thought, as her own gaze trailed over towards Aoko, sharpening all the more when she fixed it back on him. At once, he knew who this girl was- she was that Mouri Ran girl, the one from the detective agency, the one he had disguised himself as before when he had first crossed paths with Conan.

Crap. He didn't like that look in her eyes. Was it possible that she somehow...?

" _Shinichi_?"


	13. Tricksters

AN: And here's chapter thirteen! Looks like FFnet is doing that thing where it has a super lag when it comes to letting reviews show up on the actual review page again, but rest assured that I'm properly getting e-mail notifications about them so I can still read them, so don't hesitate to review away anyways! (Boy I sure am glad FFnet is a total functional website that never has problems like this RIP).

Anyways, thanks for reading! Until next time!

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter Thirteen**

 **Tricksters**

* * *

"I'm not-"

Kaito's almost reflective answer caught in his throat the moment he realized that she _hadn't_ called him by the name he had been expecting to hear- and for a brief second, he could only find himself blinking, wondering as to who this 'Shinichi' that he was being mistaken for could possibly be.

Shinichi? As in _Kudo_ Shinichi, perhaps? That missing high school detective? Did this young lady, this Mouri Ran, as he recalled her name was, know him from somewhere? While it was interesting to learn that he apparently resembled the so called high school detective of the east so closely that someone could mistake him for him, even without a disguise, what mattered now was clearing up this misunderstanding.

"I'm afraid you have the wrong person, actually. I'm Kuroba Kaito." Kaito introduced himself, offering her a slight smile. "I'm not quite certain who this Shinichi person is that you're asking about."

"You're not-?" Ran blinked, squinting a little as she took a better look at the young man. Once she did, she quickly realized that while certainly, he bore a strong resemblance to Shinichi, that he was in fact, not completely identical to him- Shinichi would have never been caught dead leaving the house with that kind of bed head, for one thing. "Ah, my mistake! I'm sorry, you really look like him, so I..."

Trailing off a little, Ran quickly bowed to him, feeling her cheeks tinting a faint shade of red. "I really am sorry again, Kuroba-san!"

"What, so it was just a case of mistaken identity." Aoko spoke up, startling the both of them- they had almost forgotten she was there for a moment. "And for a second, Aoko thought that Kaito was having some kind of secret relationship with a beautiful girl~." Although there was a teasing edge to her voice, Kaito didn't miss the slight undercurrent to her words, one that carried with it a sense of relief. "Aoko is Nakamori Aoko, by the way! Are you also staying at this inn?"

"Ah, yes. I am." Ran slowly nodded her head, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm Mouri Ran. It's a pleasure to meet the both of you, Nakamori-san, Kuroba-san, and once again, I'm _really_ sorry for mistaking you for someone else!"

"Ran-neechan, are you going to the beach?"

Only the slightest hint of distress made it's way onto Kaito's face as he heard the familiar voice of Edogawa Conan, currently speaking in that childish tone he used around people when he wanted their guard down. Following him in his wake was none other than Hattori Heiji, thus confirming his suspicions that the two of them knew each other rather well. Running into the both of them together was _not_ in the plan, and he would have to figure out a way to excuse himself from all of this the first chance that he got.

"Oh, Conan-kun, Hattori-kun." Ran glanced back at them, a faint smile on her lips as she nodded her head. "Yeah, I am. Sonoko's already there, and found us a pretty nice spot. She says the water's a little bit cold at this time of year, but it's not that bad once you get used to it, so I was thinking of taking a swim. Do the two of you want to come with me? Ah, Kazuha-chan too, of course!"

 _Yes,_ _ **please**_ _, get both the pint sized and the fox-eyed detective out of the inn_ , Kaito thought to himself. That would be some valuable time for him to scout around the inn without raising any red flags, with the plus side of not having to deal with either detective.

"That depends on what Heiji-niichan says!" Conan chirped, glancing up towards Heiji- but not before shooting a look towards the young man who had introduced himself as Kuroba Kaito. Heiji had warned him that he looked a good deal like him- but he had to admit, he had almost half thought he was exaggerating a little. The two of them could almost be twins.

Half not expecting to be dragged into this conversation, Heiji began to respond via sign language, before quickly recalling that nobody gathered there even _knew_ sign language. With a grumble, he reached for his notebook, flipping it open to a clean page and uncapping his pen with his mouth, before scribbling down a few characters on it, turning it back around so that both Ran and Conan could read it. **Yeah, the beach sounds fun, Neechan. Was meanin' ta spend a little bit of time on it myself. I'll get Kazuha an' get this kiddo ready, so you can head on down ta meet that ojou-san.**

Even as he tried not to draw too much attention to himself, Kaito couldn't help but glance at the note, finding it slightly curious that Heiji had apparently scratched out what he had originally written in one part, only to replace it with 'kiddo' instead. Perhaps he had some kind of other nickname for the pint sized terror that looked smaller than usual next to the Osakan detective. Not a surprise, considering his _usual_ frame of reference for the kid was his rather ineffectual babysitter.

It was almost hilarious that a kind so tiny could throw so many of his plans off course- and yet, that was the situation Kaito often found himself in. Really, he'd be laughing about it were he not the one stuck dealing with it- that kid and his vicious soccer balls were nothing short of a menace. Granted, perhaps he had gone a little too far when he had tazered him that one time, but at the same time, he worried about the boy's apparent habit of sticking his nose into cases in which the criminals might actually want to do him serious bodily harm- not that it had deterred him one bit, mind you.

"That's a great help then, Hattori-kun!" Ran said, clapping her hands together in delight. "I would invite you as well, Kuroba-san, Nakamori-san, but I'm pretty sure you just came back from the beach, didn't you?"

"That's right." Aoko said, nodding her head. "It's really pretty down there though, so you won't be disappointed! Aoko was hearing that there are actually mermaid legends about this island, did you know?"

"Ah, I read about those in the mermaid museum earlier. They were really touching! Have you seen it yet, Nakamori-san?" Ran asked.

"No." Aoko told her, shaking her head. "Not yet. At least these legends aren't about those scary kind of man eating mermaids. Aoko's never liked that sort of thing!"

Nobody really understood why Heiji snorted underneath his breath at that moment, but it was obvious that he hadn't meant to do that much aloud. Blinking a little, he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, as Aoko shot him a look, half wondering if he had been laughing at her. Gathering that much from the look on her face, he quickly shook his head, letting out a slight sigh of relief when she seemed to let it go.

"Well then, if you three don't mind us, Aoko and I are going to go get changed." Kaito told them, a bright smile flashing across his face. As he spoke, he noticed Conan's expression vaguely change into one of consideration- but he was pretty certain that his normal speaking voice was different enough from the voice that he used in his Kid persona, so it was unlikely that he would have made a connection. At least, he thought it was- he never knew when it came to the pint-sized _tantei-kun_. That kid was _sharp_.

"Oh yes! Sorry for holding you up." Ran said, realizing that she was blocking their way a little, and stepped aside. Glancing back towards Conan and Heiji, she flashed the pair a smile. "Then, Conan-kun, Hattori-kun, I'll be heading down to the beach ahead of you. Sonoko says to take the boardwalk closest to the inn on the right down when you go."

"We got it, Ran-neechan!" Piping up for Heiji's sake, Conan beamed widely at her. Even so, Ran lingered a moment, half expecting a response from Heiji himself- before she realized that such a thing was currently impossible. "We'll be there in a few minutes!"

Only once he was certain that both Ran, Aoko, and Kaito alike were all gone, and that nobody was in earshot, did Conan spare a look up towards Heiji. "You know you're here on a request, right? I didn't expect you to agree to goofing around on the beach so quickly, Hattori. Don't you have a time limit for that form anyways?"

With a broad grin, Heiji shook his head, jotting something down in his notebook. **Nah, I worked past that issue. An' c'mon, Kudo, don't be such a stick in the mud! We came all the way out here, we might as well enjoy the beach a little bit before the heist. We've got two days ta go anyways.**

"Two days we could spend figuring out who Kid is. He's probably already scoping the place out." Conan pointed out, quirking a brow- both at Heiji's nonchalant attitude, and the information that he had been given. Well, no time limit worked better for him anyways, as much as he was curious as to what had caused that change- the less time he had to spend holding conversations with a literal fox, the better, really.

 **Aw, he won't be goin' anywhere. Besides, I'll be able ta figure it out right away once the heist begins, especially if he's someone we've met before.** Heiji told him, his grin only growing all the wider as he closed his notebook, tucking it back into his pocket. Granted, 'they have the same scent' wasn't _nearly_ good enough grounds to arrest the dude, but it wasn't as if Heiji was overmuch interested in that anyways- even though he had accepted the request, if the tantalizing offer of linking him to someone who could give him his voice back hadn't been included with it, he would have turned it down.

Besides, even Heiji had to admit that it _was_ kind of unfair to use his new senses to his advantage here. There was no criminal that could counter that sort of thing. He did, however, want to give that Kid bastard a good punch to the face. And maybe a knee to the gut, to top everything off. If he actually thought that he was going to get out of here without paying for what he had done to his friend- well, then he had another thing coming entirely.

Casting a wary look up towards Heiji, Conan was almost certain that he was laughing- just not out loud. Heiji clearly had something in mind that he wasn't telling him- and with that mischievous glint in his less than human eyes, Conan could only manage to feel vaguely apprehensive about the whole thing. Kaito Kid certainly was known as a trickster- but so were foxes.

He had said it before, and he would say it again- Heiji and foxes were really quite the good match. With two days to go until the heist, Conan was almost half dreading, half looking forward to the inevitable confrontation- perhaps he should sit back and let Heiji do his own thing this time around, as tantalizing as facing down with Kid again was to him. At the very least, he'd be keeping a sharp eye on Heiji, to make sure he didn't let himself get too carried away- and allowed his own secret to slip in the process.

"You know, I'm going to be perfectly honest here, Hattori. I really can't wait for you to go back to _normal_." Conan admitted- making a slight face as Heiji beamed down at him, the mischievous glint in his eyes somehow only managing to grow.

God. Foxes really _were_ a good match for him.

* * *

Three things.

There were three things from the snippet of conversation that he had caught between Conan and the high school detective of the west that piqued Kaito's curiosity. He hadn't actually _meant_ to eavesdrop on them, not really- he'd actually just been coming back to the lobby to get a spare towel. Any eavesdropping had been _purely_ coincidental.

The first thing was the curious change in the way Conan addressed Heiji when he thought nobody else was listening. Going from a cute, child-like _Heiji-niichan_ , to a far more casual sounding _Hattori_. He had suspected that they might have a good relationship- but they were apparently even closer than he had realized, if he was showing that side of himself- the far more mature side, the one that gave Kaito so much trouble- so freely to the Osakan detective. He couldn't really judge what Heiji's relationship was with him in turn, given the fact that he couldn't see what he had written.

 _"I really can't wait for you to go back to_ _ **normal**_ _."_

Perhaps Conan had merely been referring to the state of Heiji's voice with this comment. It would make sense- losing one's voice in the way he had couldn't possibly make communicating with him all that easy, and certainly, it doubtlessly provided Heiji with his own personal frustrations. And yet, somehow, Kaito almost didn't think that was quite it. From the way Heiji had put it back when the Inspector had asked about it, he had gotten the impression that Heiji's lack of voice was going to be something that was permanent. He could have simply been wrong about that, however.

It was the third thing that caught Kaito's interest the most, and provided him with quite a bit of confusion. No matter how he turned the phrase in his head, he couldn't _quite_ figure out what had been meant by it. It was an odd, out of place thing to say to anyone, and it was what threw the most obvious theory about the second strange thing he'd overheard into disarray.

 _"Don't you have a time limit for that form anyways?"_

That. What the hell was _that_ supposed to mean. Why would Heiji have _any_ kind of time limit? And on his form- whatever exactly that was supposed to mean- at that? This was something that Kaito could not puzzle out- especially when the words came from the lips of all too skeptical _tantei-kun_. Did the famed high school detective of the west have some kind of other form that people didn't know about? As much as he wanted to shrug that off as nonsense, that certainly would explain the quip about eagerly awaiting him going back to normal, he supposed.

Narrowing his eyes a little, Kaito let his thoughts drift back- and every time they did, they ended up falling back on the strangeness that were Heiji's eyes. He was hard pressed to say that he had ever seen such eyes before, and he spent quite a bit of time studying faces ever since he had taken up his father's mantle. They almost reminded him of something else- and as he pursed his lips together, brows furrowing, his thoughts briefly jumped towards the pet fox that the Kazuha girl who had come here with him had brought with her, the one that she had called _Hei-chan_.

No, no, no. There was no way. He'd been quick to dub Heiji as a fox-eyed detective, but that didn't actually _mean_ anything. As far as he knew, Heiji had a rather normal family, and outside of his detective work, probably lived a rather normal life. As closely as their eyes resembled each other, the idea that the two of them could somehow be one and the same was pretty absurd. Out there, even- and were it not for the fact that he was tragically well acquainted with a witch, and were it not for the fact that he was chasing a gem said to grant immortality, he would have all but laughed off such a notion. But as the facts stood, both of those things were very much true.

Still, it was a bit too early to be jumping to such an out there conclusion. Besides, if that really were true, then that meant he would have...

Oh. Oh man. Kaito thought to himself, raising one hand subconsciously around his throat, a nervous chuckle escaping from his lips. On the off chance that the brown fox named Hei-chan and Hattori Heiji _were_ somehow one and the same, then that meant he had suggested collaring- _oh god_.

For his own sake, Kaito could only hope that the out there theory was completely wrong. Because from what little he knew about Heiji, there was no way that he was going to take someone suggesting that a collar be put around him very well. If anything, that was an understatement.

Because, again, one of the _last_ things that Kaito wanted to do was rouse the Osakan's somewhat infamous temper, with all of it's fury directed straight towards him. That was something he very much wanted to _avoid_.

* * *

"You know, you really don't have to try and fight Kid for my honor, Kazuha-chan." Ran began, casting a glance towards her friend. "He only just put me to sleep, it's not like he stripped me naked or anything like that." For a moment, she couldn't help but let her thoughts drift back towards Sera's misfortune- although she had handled that matter herself, landing a blow on the phantom thief that he would likely never forget, all while running around in her underwear.

Sonoko had been _thrilled_ at that development, really.

"What are you talking about, Ran-chan?" Kazuha asked, placing her hands on her hips, locking eyes with her friend. "Of course I do! Even if all he did was knock you out, he still had the gall to walk around dressed as you, and even tricking Conan-kun and your father in the process!"

"Well, apparently Conan-kun was the one who saw through his disguise in the first place." Ran told her with a slight laugh, recalling the rather frantic look on Conan's face as she had slowly woke up, watching as the boy glanced between the red dress that she had been wearing, and the exact duplicate of it in his arms- before he turned bright red. First from embarrassment, and next from anger. "But really, Kazuha-chan, it's fine. Besides, if you're not careful, he might even try to disguise as you, what with Hattori-kun here trying to stop him."

"Well, that's possible, I guess." Kazuha admitted after a moment, before shaking her head. She had a point- it _would_ be a good idea to keep her guard up. She guessed that there was the chance that he might try and disguise himself as Heiji as well- but she got the feeling that he'd be a little hard to get the drop on him as he was now. "But Heiji would see through him right away, so I don't think it would be a problem. Besides, that would only give me more incentive to kick his sorry thieving butt anyways. And lord knows how angry it'd make _Heiji_ \- he'd have to be a huge idiot to even try."

"Ah, that's true." Ran couldn't help but admit, mentally trying to picture just how angry Heiji would get if on top of everything else, Kaito Kid had the gall to try and disguise himself as Kazuha- and vaguely almost felt a hint of sympathy for the magician thief. "But you seem pretty confident that Hattori-kun would be able to tell the two of you apart, Kazuha-chan~." As a teasing expression crossed her face, Ran couldn't help but smile as her cheeks turned a faint shade of pink.

"W-well, you could say that he has an advantage in that area!" Kazuha said simply, folding her arms in front of her chest and nodding her head. It wasn't as if she was going to say out loud that he would know right away if a fake version of herself showed up in front of him from the scent alone- well, she'd like to imagine that Heiji would even be able to tell without such a thing, but somehow, she couldn't help but doubt it. He was always a little dense about certain things, after all.

Either way, he'd still be ticked.

"What are you two talking about, Ran-neechan, Kazuha-neechan?"

Nearly jumping out of her skin at the sound of Conan's voice, Kazuha spun around on her heel, feeling the pink tint on her cheeks grow as she noticed that Heiji was right there with him, a wide grin on his face indicating that yes, he'd heard a good portion of their conversation. Even when he didn't have those damn fox ears of his, it seemed like he had quite good hearing these days- honestly, if anything, it just made dealing with him sometimes all the more insufferable.

God help her though, she was still head over heels for this damn fox.

"Nothing really!" Ran was quick to say. "I was just telling Kazuha-chan to be careful on the night of the heist."

"Because Kid might try and disguise himself as her?" Conan asked, briefly chancing a look over towards Heiji as he asked that, watching a rather vivid flash of anger dash through his eyes at even the mere thought of such a thing. If Kid really was already scoping out the inn, and had already learned that the innkeeper had hired a private detective of her own, he knew that both Heiji himself as well as Kazuha would be pretty high up on his list of possible disguises. Of course, there was nothing saying that he wouldn't try and disguise himself as either Sonoko or Ran again, or perhaps that Aoko girl or her friend, Kaito. Even the innkeeper herself was possible, although her wheelchair bound state might make that something of a disadvantage to him.

Then again, it might actually be an _advantage_ to someone of Kid's skills. That said, Kid would have to be willing to steal a wheelchair out from under a disabled woman, which might very well cross the limits of something he'd be willing to do. Granted, he had tazed a child, but _still_.

"That's right!" Ran said. "But she seemed pretty confident that you could tell it wouldn't actually be her, Hattori-kun~." She couldn't help but tease again, putting a hand to her lips in a vain attempt to cover up her grin. Something was lost, however, when Heiji didn't nearly give her the reaction as she had hoped to see, instead just grinning widely, making some signs towards the still somewhat flustered Kazuha.

"He says _of course_ he'd be able to tell it wasn't me." Kazuha noted, heaving a long sigh, casting a glower at him that silently told him that no, she wasn't going to effectively translate that god awful 'sniffing out' joke. It wasn't as if Ran would even _understand_ it in the first place. "Well, it's not like I intend on letting myself get knocked out in the first place. I have just as much business with Kid as you do, Heiji."

'Gonna give him a good punch fer Neechan's sake?' Heiji signed, grinning broadly all the while. 'Personally I recommend right ta the face, if ya manage ta get that good of a shot at him.'

"That's what I was aiming for." Kazuha said, nodding her head, the way she was clenching her fist giving the other two a pretty good idea of what it was that Heiji had just said.

"Really, Kazuha-chan, you don't have to do something like that for me!" Ran insisted again, even though she knew it was all but futile at this point. Stubbornness was something that both of her Osakan friends had very much in common.

"Oh, but I do, Ran-chan!" Kazuha told her, fire in her eyes, all but anticipating the upcoming heist in her own way. "I do."

* * *

" _Achoo!_ "

"Are you catching a cold, Kaito-kun?" Inspector Nakamori glanced down at the bushy haired youth, who had been rather quick to offer to help him inspect the room in which the Mermaid's Tear would be placed come the heist. Although Erika had considered keeping it in the safe, in the end she decided that it would be no safer there from a thief of Kid's talents, than it would be on display, and had placed it back on it's pedestal in the mermaid museum. She had called in a locksmith to change all of the locks, but frankly, he doubted that it was a measure that would do much good against the phantom thief.

At least he wouldn't be able to escape from this place using his hang glider- that was one advantage in their favor. The presence of both the high school detective of the west, Hattori Heiji, and the Kid Killer, Edogawa Conan, were both advantages that they would have in their pocket this time. He could only hope it would be enough- Kid had weaseled his way out of even trickier situations before.

"I hope not." Kaito admitted, rubbing his nose and giving the Inspector something of a sheepish grin. "Maybe someone's talking about me?"

More likely they were speaking of Kaito Kid rather than Kuroba Kaito, however. That would explain the cold shiver that ran down his spine alongside the cough, as if someone was planning to direct physical harm towards him. Perhaps it was Heiji- from what he heard of Hakuba, he was something of the violent, aggressive sort.

He did have to admit he was looking somewhat forward to having a match with the kendo champ, especially one that could so easily make it up to a second floor window from the ground without even a hint of trouble. Of course, the second it started resembling anything close to the heist where he had the great misfortune to cross paths with the one known as Kyogoku Makoto, he was going to be gone faster than anyone could blink. He was pretty sure he might have actually escaped something akin to death there, another shiver running down his spine again as he recalled the way the karate master had broken a pillar with nothing more than his hands and feet.

 _Tantei-kun_ , he had decided in that moment, knew some very weird, very _scary_ , people. He had already filed Heiji under the 'very weird' category- whether or not he he qualified for the latter remained to be seen.

With a look on his face that told Kaito the Inspector was probably hoping that didn't mean Kid was the one planning on doing anything with his face- a hilarious statement, really- Kaito stood up, brushing some dust off of his knees. He was grateful that the Inspector had been willing to bring him along with him like this- and hadn't even so much as batted an eye at his offer to help him survey the room. Thanks to this, he had a pretty good idea of what the room's layout was like, and where all of the good escape avenues would be.

"You know, Hakuba has apparently worked with this Hattori Heiji before." Kaito casually observed, carefully gauging Nakamori's reaction. Perhaps it would be fun to stir the pot some, so to speak. "Although he described him at the time as a rather noisy fellow."

"Did he now?" Nakamori blinked, a slight frown crossing his features. "I had heard somewhere that he'd been caught up in something and went missing for a brief while, but I hadn't heard about his throat. It looks rather painful." He noted, his lips twisting in a small frown. "If _I_ were his father, I wouldn't let him anywhere near a case after something like that happened."

"Caught up in something?" Kaito asked. "I _did_ meet the girl he brought with him. Apparently she said he had been strangled." Grimacing at the mere notion of it, even as he mentally worked out the dynamics of how to imitate said scars using makeup, having not totally thrown out the idea of using tantei-han himself for his disguise. "Sounds like being a high school detective isn't the safest of things."

"Mm." Nakamori agreed with a slight grunt, carefully tugging at the display stand in which the Mermaid's Tear was now located, checking to make sure it was very firmly rooted to the ground. "So it would seem. But Kaito-kun, shouldn't you be out enjoying the beach right about now? You really don't have to spend your time hanging around an old man like me."

"No, no, it's fine." Kaito was quick to reassure him, flashing him a broad grin. "I already went to the beach with Aoko a little bit ago. I'm pretty sure that's where Hattori-kun and the others are right now." And he was, of course, trying to keep his contact with the likes of Heiji and Conan to a bare minimum. "Aoko says this place has some pretty interesting mermaid legends, so she went to talk to Kawamura-san about them more in depth."

"Mermaids, huh." Nakamori's voice held a hint of skepticism to it. "Well, as long as she's enjoying herself." He didn't half as many chances to bring Aoko on vacation as he would like, so when he saw the chance to bring his daughter to Okinawa, he'd pretty much jumped at the chance. He still wasn't quite certain how Kaito had ended up joining him, but it wasn't as if he minded the young man's presence- even if he did, at one point, suspect him of being Kaito Kid.

Absurd, really. What _had_ he been thinking?

* * *

"Kazuha-chan!" Sonoko's voice called out to the Osakan girl, waving at her from the shoreline. Wondering what it was that Ran's friend could possibly want from her, Kazuha turned in her direction- making a face as she noticed something decidedly out of place sleeping on one of the beach chairs, curled up in a fuzzy little ball. "Your pet fox got here somehow!"

Mentally sorting out how such a thing must have happened, Kazuha realized that Heiji must have decided to doze off in one of the beach chairs, rather than return to the hotel to nap. Maybe it was because he wasn't quite human anymore, but it seemed as if he was starting to do a fair amount of napping these days. Dogs, she knew, spent quite a good deal of time sleeping, so perhaps the same was true with foxes. One would think, however, that Heiji would remember that drifting off into slumber land meant that Heiji would have been unable to hold his human form, and would instead revert back to that of a fox.

"Thank you, Sonoko-chan! I'm coming right over!" Kazuha called out, quickly approaching the shore, heaving a long sigh as she picked up her towel, drying herself off somewhat. Noticing that Conan was also making his way over towards her, his attention having been caught by the commotion, Kazuha knelt down in front of the beach chair that her childhood friend was fast asleep on.

He'd even curled himself up in his own beach towel, using it as an impromptu blanket. It was adorable, and she didn't even resist the urge to quickly snap a picture of it using her cellphone. Granted, while it was still somewhat strange of her to think of this brown fox as Heiji, as much as she had known almost beyond a doubt from the very start that it was him, she did have to admit that he was awfully cute like this.

"Maybe he missed his owner and came to find you?" Sonoko half whispered, unable to understand why her question had earned her a loud snort from Kazuha- one that very nearly woke the fox up. "Come to think of it though, I haven't seen Hattori-kun around for a little while. I wonder where he went off to?"

"He probably went back to the hotel, Sonoko-neechan!" Conan piped up, toweling himself off now. "Heiji-niichan has a bad habit of not always telling people where he's going."

"I see." Sonoko said simply, shrugging her shoulders and accepting that without much question. "Not to be rude, Kazuha-chan, but your childhood friend's a bit of an odd one. I mean really, dressing up as Shinichi-kun not once, but _twice_? I really can't say I understand what that guy is thinking."

"Twice?" Kazuha blinked, tilting her head to the side, missing the way Conan's eyes widened. Sure, she had been there when Heiji had decided to badly disguise himself as Shinichi for some strange reason, but she hadn't known that he'd done it on another occasion. "I didn't hear anything about that."

"S-shouldn't we take Hei-chan back to the hotel, Kazuha-neechan?" Conan asked, quickly interjecting by all but throwing himself in front of the girl, unceremoniously scooping up his best friend turned fox in his arms, all but rudely awakening the slumbering animal. At the low grumble of complaint that he got from Heiji as he slowly woke up, finding himself held in a rather uncomfortable fashion by the shrunken detective, he merely shot him a look, telling him that he was saving _both_ of their skins right about now.

"Ah, you're right." Kazuha said, blinking a little. "But I don't think he quite likes being carried that way, Conan-kun."

 _Can't say that I care much for the way that he carries me half the time either,_ Conan mentally grumbled to himself, continuing to allow the fox's lower half hang down, his arms scooped up underneath his front paws, leaving him to somewhat dangle from his arms.

 _What the hell do ya think yer doin', Kudo?!_ Heiji's voice rang out in his ears, loudly grumbling inside of his head as he squirmed in his grasp, trying to break free of it, only to find in his frustration that he couldn't really do so. _Put me down, ya idiot! Can't ya let a guy take a nap?_ Glowering up a little at him, Heiji averted his eyes from him, turning to look towards Kazuha, only barely noticing that Sonoko was hovering around them as well. _Kazuha, help me out here!_

"Come on now, Conan-kun." Kazuha said again, carefully taking Heiji from his arms, scooping him up into her own. He wasted no time in wrapping himself around her shoulders, and she grumbled inwardly a little, realizing that she was going to have wet fox fur stuck to them until she got the chance to take a shower. His tail faintly twitching as he still seemed to glare at Conan, Kazuha heaved a slight sigh.

"But he's really cute!" Sonoko observed, distracted from the previous topic, something which Conan allowed his own sigh of relief to escape at. Reaching out to lightly pet his head, she frowned a little as the fox swatted her hand away with one of his paws, shooting her something of a dirty look. "Does he not like being petted?"

"Ah, not really." Kazuha said with a slight laugh. Well of course he didn't. Up until a month and a half ago, he was a normal human. As easy as he had taken to this form, he didn't really care for being treated like someone's pet- even though she knew he actually very much liked being petted, when it came down to it. His dignity wouldn't allow it, however. It was a bit funny, really. "Conan-kun's right though, I should really be getting him back to the hotel. Ah but Ran-chan just left to get us some shaved ice..."

 _Ya don't have ta take me back ta the hotel, Kazuha!_ Heiji mentally grumbled, twitching his tail slightly. _I can go back on my own, ya know. Ah, wait though, did Neechan get shaved ice fer me too?_

Only daring a slight nod of her head, Kazuha couldn't help but internally snort at the way Heiji's tail quickly started to wag, as he eagerly leapt off of Kazuha's shoulders. _Well in that case, I'll wait until she comes back with it ta go anywhere! Convince her ta give it ta me, Kazuha!_

When she asked him with such bright eyes, and such an eager wag of his tail, there was no way that Kazuha could say no. As much as she wanted Heiji to hurry up and find a way to become human again, she was going to admit that she might actually miss little Hei-chan once he was gone. Because he was just so very, very _cute_ at times.

* * *

"How cute!"

Before Kaito could even so much as stop her, Aoko had already scooped up the brown fox in her arms, alarming the animal so much that he dropped what he had been carefully carrying in his mouth. Thankfully, Kaito's reflexes were fast enough to pick up the cup of what appeared to be shaved ice, preventing it from making a mess on the floor. Granted, he hadn't quite realized what it was until he'd caught it, and now found himself staring down at in curiosity. He knew full well that they were selling shaved ice on the beach not far from the inn- but what on earth was that Kazuha girl's pet doing with it?

At the way the fox was kicking and squirming against Aoko's grip, Kaito could tell right away that he didn't like it one bit. For a moment, he was unable to help but recall the theory that Conan's rather strange words from earlier in the day had lead him to, and for a moment, his brain attempted and failed to process the notion that the one that was desperately trying to break free of Aoko's grasp was none other than the Osakan high school detective.

Okay, maybe that was a silly theory, he mentally thought to himself, deciding to throw the poor fox a bone. It seemed grateful enough that he'd caught the shaved ice alone- which only made him wonder if the fox had intended to eat it himself. Had he gone to the beach and gotten it? Had his owner bought it for him for some reason, and he had brought it all the way back here? Either way, it was weird.

"Aoko, I don't think he likes that." Kaito told her. "You might want to put him down before he tries biting you."

Because it vaguely looked like he was considering it.

"But he's so cute, Kaito!" Aoko couldn't help but beam, pouting a little as she held the fox close to her. Kaito had mentioned it a little while ago- that one of the guests at the inn was keeping a pet fox, and she had been hoping for a chance to see the animal for herself. "Your name's Hei-chan, right? Kaito told Aoko all about you!"

Grumbling to himself, half wanting to use his telepathy to just tell this girl off, Heiji settled for twitching his tail, trying to display his annoyance as best as he could. At least one of the pair seemed to have a bit of sense- even if he wasn't about to forgive this Kaito guy for his earlier remark yet, even if he had caught his precious shaved ice. Kazuha had been able to convince Ran that she had trained him- _trained him_ , of all things!- to take things to Heiji sometimes, and Ran had been more than happy to give him the cup of shaved ice to bring back to the hotel with him.

In retrospect, maybe he should have changed back to human form before coming back here. But it hadn't so much as popped into his head at the time. At least nobody he knew was around to see him in this very undignified situation.

"Yes, yes, he's very cute, and also very unhappy right now, Aoko." Kaito told her, carefully setting down the cup of shaved ice by his feet, and reaching over to pry the fox from her arms, carefully setting him down on the ground. Watching with no small amount of curiosity as the fox promptly picked the cup of shaved ice back up between it's teeth, he couldn't help but notice that he almost seemed to shoot Aoko a dirty look- and then one towards himself, in spite of the fact that he had just helped him!

Ungrateful, honestly.

"Aw, Kaito!" Pouting a little as she watched the brown fox turn on it's heel, stalking back off down the hall, Aoko turned to shoot a look towards him. "You didn't have to do that."

"I did." Kaito said, curiously watching the retreating form of the fox. As much as he had just said that the theory was silly, he really couldn't deny how much it's eyes resembled those of Heiji's. That scar on the front of it's right paw- Kaito couldn't help but recall that Heiji had a scar on his right hand just the same as it. "He obviously wasn't enjoying the attention."

And in the vague off chance that maybe, just _maybe_ , the fox in question was _actually_ Hattori Heiji, he had probably helped save a lot of his dignity. Not that he'd be grateful come heist time if that were the case, but he never really expected gratitude from detectives in the first place. That was of course, still provided that the wild theory was the correct theory- and Kaito wasn't exactly about to jump to that theory, seeing no reason to do so just yet. There were probably other, more reasonable explanations behind those strange words that he had overheard. Jumping to conclusions was not something that was going to do him any favors.

If someone was weird enough to keep a fox as a pet, they were probably weird enough to buy it shaved ice, and to furthermore let it wander about as it pleased. Still, watching as it turned the corner down the hall where he knew that Heiji and Kazuha's room was, it was an awfully clever little thing, wasn't it?

Perhaps he should make a note of that just in case. If trained well, there was a chance that the fox could be used in an attempt to throw an unexpected wrench into his plans. Mentally factoring this in, he decided to make a chance to chat up it's owner about the curious animal- when Heiji wasn't around, that was. If it was smart enough to return to the inn on it's own, carrying something in it's mouth, it was probably smart enough to snatch a shiny object from the hands of a phantom thief, if instructed to do so.

Known as tricksters though they might be, Kaito Kid had no intention of missing out on his mark because of the interference of a fellow trickster.


	14. Deep Blue Under the Moonlight

**AN** : Sorry for the wait, here's chapter fourteen! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, and I thank everyone for reading it. As always, I would very much appreciate it if you could be so kind as to leave a review on your way out! Well then, until next time!

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter Fourteen**

 **Deep Blue Under the Moonlight**

* * *

"Wake up, sleepyhead." With a slight frown, Kazuha knelt in front of the sleeping form of her childhood friend, watching as his ears twitched slightly in his sleep. Otherwise, the brown fox didn't budge at all, and it was enough to cause her to let out a long sigh. "Geez, don't you have a case to work to work on, Heiji? And yet you're lounging around like this, with your belly exposed, even. How shameless."

It _was_ cute, though.

"You could have at least thrown your trash away." Kazuha muttered, glancing over towards the table where he had left the now empty cup of shaved ice. Heaving another sigh, she rose to her feet, carefully picking it up and tossing it away, before glancing down once more at Heiji's sleeping form. Honestly, he really did seem to be sleeping more lately- animal instincts, maybe. It wasn't as if it got in the way of his daily life, so it didn't really bother her- but she couldn't help but take note of the little changes that had begun to appear here and there.

"Heiji, wake up." Kazuha repeated, reaching out a hand, giving the fox a light shake. "If you don't wake up, I'll start scratching your belly~."

 _That_ seemed to prompt a reaction for him, his ears and tail alike twitching in annoyance. _Don't do that, Kazuha!_ She could make out his voice whining in her head, as he slowly blinked his eyes open. Getting to his feet and shaking off traces of sleep, Heiji glowered up at her as best he could in his current form. _Honestly, I'm_ _ **not**_ _yer pet, ya know._

"Really? I thought that was our cover story, _Hei-chan~_." Kazuha couldn't help but taunt him a little, a sly grin forming on her face as she reached out, lightly scratching his chin. Although he leaned into her touch for the first few seconds, he quickly grumbled, swatting her hand away, before stalking off, putting some distance between them, tail angrily swishing behind him.

 _Just in case ya forgot, I used ta be human, ya know._ Heiji mentally grumbled, heaving a slight sigh as he stretched out, placing his front paws out before him, feeling his bones creak. He had intended to patrol the inn after finishing the shaved ice, but the warm sun had lulled him into slumber, and before he knew it, he'd fallen fast asleep. Glancing over at the clock, he cringed a little, realizing that he had been sleeping for an hour.

"I haven't forgotten." Kazuha said simply. "I'm just enjoying this situation while it lasts." With a slight frown, she carefully studied her friend, watching as he shook off the last traces of his lazy nap. "Don't you forget either, Heiji."

 _Idiot, like I would._ Casting her a slightly dirty look, Heiji nevertheless quickly quirked the best grin he could on his currently canine features, pacing over towards Kazuha, sitting down in front of her. _I still intend ta return ta bein' a proper human, somehow. There's probably a way, Grandmother Fox even said so herself._

"Well, I hope so." Kazuha said with a slight frown. Frankly, she'd rather not marry a fox- even though this change hadn't done _anything_ to dampen her feelings for Heiji at all. She really was hopeless. "Maybe that spiritual healer that Kawamura-san knows might be able to tell you something?"

 _That's what I was thinkin', yeah._ Heiji told her with a nod. _Yer comin' with me, right, Kazuha? Ku- no, Conan-kun, will comin' with me too, if he can make it._

"Have you talked that over with Ran-chan yet?" Kazuha asked, her eyes narrowing as she could tell from the way he averted his eyes from her that he hadn't. Heaving a slight sigh, she reached out, lightly flicking his forehead. "Well, of course I'll be coming with you. Getting your voice back will be one step closer to getting you back to being the _normal_ Heiji."

 _Ya don't mind me too much this way, do ya though?_ Heiji inquired, tilting his head to the side. _Well, I guess it would be pretty weird, havin' yer childhood friend be like this._

"It's _definitely_ weird." Kazuha said with a nod. "But I don't really mind it that much, surprisingly enough. I guess I've just gotten used to it already. Now then," rising to her feet, Kazuha planted her hands on her hips, looking down at him. "Hurry up and return to being human already, Heiji. You've got work to do, you can't just lounge around in that form all day."

 _I wasn't plannin' ta!_ Heiji protested, making an irritated swish of his tail. _I was just lured into sleep, that's all!_ With what she was pretty sure was an annoyed pout, one that made her laugh into her hand, Heiji stood up- before he turned his head in the direction of the hallway, his ears twitching. Someone was coming, and those footsteps didn't belong to anyone that he recognized.

One... no, two people? While he didn't recognize their footsteps, it didn't feel like it was the first time he'd heard them. Maybe someone he had just met recently? Who was it?

 _Oi, Kazuha. Someone's comin'._ Heiji noted, gaze still fixed on the hallway. _It's not Neechan or Conan-kun either._

"Eh?" Kazuha blinked, straining her ears- and after a second, she could make out the sound of approaching footsteps herself as well. With a slight frown on her face, she went over to the door to their room, sliding it open just in time to thoroughly surprise the two teenagers who were just about to knock on it themselves. Instantly recognizing one of them, a quick smile graced her features. "Ah, you're Kuroba-san, aren't you? From earlier?"

She didn't recognize the girl, though. She could more or less make a guess as to _who_ she was, though. Ran had told her about her own encounter with Kuroba Kaito- namely that he had such a surprising resemblance to Shinichi, that she had actually mistaken him for him for a moment. Well, she wouldn't really know herself- she'd only had the chance to meet Kudo Shinichi all of twice herself, and he didn't exactly leave much of an impression on her either time.

For some reason, when she first heard about him, she had expected someone a little more _dynamic_ \- but well, she guessed that not _every_ high school detective was like Heiji. Rather, that was probably a good thing. One hotblooded teenage detective with a bad habit of getting himself into trouble was probably enough.

"Ah, yes." Kaito blinked, more than a little surprised at being caught so off guard like this. It wasn't something that happened often. Was it just coincidence? But there was something within Kazuha's eyes that told him she had almost _expected_ to find someone on the other side of her door. It was a little strange. "Once again, I'm Kuroba Kaito. Ah, and this girl is my childhood friend, Nakamori Aoko. You know, the daughter of Inspector Nakamori."

"Hello!" Aoko beamed, nodding her head, trying to peer behind Kazuha, doubtlessly checking to see if her pet fox was in the room with her. When she spotted a hint of the animal, her eyes almost lit up, glittering with excitement. Kaito had promised he would take her to meet Kazuha so that she could see the fox again- provided that she minded it's moods a little bit better this time. "It's nice to meet you, Toyama-san! Um, I hope you don't mind, but I heard about your pet from Kaito, so..."

"Ah!" A look of understanding- and amusement, Kaito couldn't help but note- crossed Kazuha's face at this statement, and she nodded her head. "I see. So you're Nakamori-san? Did you come here to see Hei-chan?"

 _Send her away, Kazuha!_ She could make out Heiji mentally grumbling, not even needing to look back at him to know that his tail was angrily twitching. He'd missed his chance to return to human form, and was regretting it now. Honestly, what did that girl think she was doing, just scooping him up out of the blue like that? He wasn't a real pet, damnit!

"Yeah!" Aoko said, nodding her head. "Ah, but it's not a bother, is it? Aoko was just sort of curious. It's not often that you see people with foxes as pets, after all."

"No, it's fine." Kazuha said, casting a sly look back towards Heiji as she stepped aside to allow the pair into the room. Well, there were any countless numbers of things that she needed to take revenge against Heiji for- and she was going to exploit this situation while it lasted. "You can both come in."

"Thank you." Kaito said, giving her a quick smile. "I hope we're not interrupting anything. Aoko ran into your pet in the hallway earlier, and she hasn't shut up about it since." Well, it was a good cover for coming over and asking her questions about the animal- namely if it had been trained to do anything by the girl's own childhood friend.

Provided the fox in question wasn't somehow _also_ Kazuha's childhood friend. If that really were the case, nobody would know that better than the person who had grown up with him. It was a silly theory to be sure, but even though he wasn't ready to rush into it, he wasn't ready to dismiss it out of hand, either. After all, he'd seen some pretty strange things since he started moonlighting as Kaito Kid. A high school detective that could turn into a fox, or perhaps a fox that could turn into a high school detective, while strange, wouldn't be _that_ unusual, all things told.

"No, you're not interrupting anything, Kuroba-san." Kazuha told him, shaking her head. No sooner than had Aoko entered the room, did she make a beeline for Heiji, sitting down right in front of him and quickly making herself at home, lightly scratching him behind his ears. She had to fight back the urge to snort at the way it was obvious that he almost wanted to melt into the sensation- before he gathered his dignity up, and swatted both of her hands away with his paws, slinking off out of arm's reach from Aoko.

"I can't tell if he's friendly or not." Kaito couldn't help but observe to himself, quirking a brow. Well, if that _really_ was a human, that would explain things- whatever the case, it would probably be a good idea to watch what he said around the fox. It would be smart to watch what he said around _Kazuha_ as well- because even if his theory was wrong, she would be able to pass on any information that Heiji wanted to him.

Speaking of it, where _was_ he anyways? It always only seemed to be either Hei-chan or Heiji, one or the other. He'd never seen them around at the same time as each other, which now that he thought about it, was a little odd. Granted, they hadn't crossed paths all that often yet, so it wasn't really that strange, all things told. Maybe it was just bad timing?

"Where's Hattori-kun?" Kaito asked, glancing around the room. "Did he go out again?"

"Yeah, something like that." Kazuha said, nodding her head with a quick smile. Taking a seat by where Heiji had sulked off to, she scooped the brown fox into her lap, smiling a little as she listened to his mental grumbling as she did so. Well, it was either this, or allow the obviously still yearning Aoko to do so, and she suspected he would prefer her better. "Right now, it's just Hei-chan and me here. So? What can I do for you two? Or did you really come here just to see Hei-chan?"

"Well, something like that." Aoko said, feeling a little bit flustered when she was asked so directly about her intentions. Speaking of the fox, though... "By the way, Aoko couldn't help but notice when she was scratching his ears that he seems to have a scar behind one. There's one on his right paw as well- did something happen to him?"

"Well, you could say something like that." Kazuha said, nodding her head. Thank goodness she had taken time to practice her lies in regards to this. She'd gotten quite good at it. "I don't really know what, though. Hei-chan only started living with me around two months or so ago, so I can't really tell you about anything before then." She said, shaking her head. "We think he was probably someone's pet before this, and that's why he's so docile, but he might have been through some tough times before that."

"Eh, that's horrible!" Aoko said. "But you're lucky that you wound up with such a nice owner, right, Hei-chan~?" She asked, reaching out another hand again to lightly scratch under his chin, pouting a little as he pushed her hand away again with one of his paws. "Geez, you could at least let Aoko pet you a little. What a weird animal."

"He's only been with you for two months?" Kaito asked, blinking a little at that statement. He didn't quite miss the dirty look that Hei-chan had directed towards Aoko as soon as the word 'owner' left her lips- sometimes, it felt like it could almost understand them. Come to think of it, when he'd asked the Inspector to elaborate on what he knew about Heiji's aforementioned disappearance, he had mentioned that it had happened about two months ago or so now. That timing was kind of...

"Yeah." Kazuha said, nodding her head. "Well, one thing lead to another, and I ended up taking him home with me."

 _Why's this guy so interested in me in the first place?_ Heiji mentally grumbled, twitching his tail a little. Honestly, what a pain. _Kazuha, I'm goin' out. I'll be back in a little bit as the usual me. There's obviously no way I can change forms here._

Rising to his feet, Heiji carefully got out of Kazuha's lap, heading over towards the inn door. Sliding it open with his front paw, Heiji left the room behind him, making out the faint sound of Kaito asking if it was okay to let him wander away by himself like that. Kazuha was quick to reassure him that 'Hei-chan' was a rather clever fox, and vaguely, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes at that- especially as Kaito prompted again, asking if he'd been trained somehow.

A bit too curious, really, Heiji couldn't help but think to himself. Glancing around the hallway, making quite certain that there was no one else around, he let out a silent sigh. Smoke twisted around his form, slowly altering his shape, before he once more was back in human form again. Rubbing the back of his neck, Heiji glanced down the way he came, making a mental note to be a bit careful around Kaito. He wasn't sure _what_ his motives were, but it bothered him a bit.

He couldn't sense anything from him like he could with Erika, but Kudo was right- he needed to be careful about who it was that learned his secret. The last thing he wanted was to end up either becoming someone's lab rat, or become the latest thing in the headlines. He had _meant_ it when he said he was still determined to return to being human- he didn't exactly want to gain a reputation for being like this when he had every intention of going back to normal as soon as possible.

Or at least, as normal as he _could_. Grandmother Fox hadn't answered him when he'd asked what might change about him when he finally returned to being a real human- just that his perception of the world might be different. He figured that probably meant he'd be able to see the things he could see now for the rest of his life- but well, he'd already gotten used to it pretty quickly.

"Oh, Heiji!" Glancing up as Heiji returned to the room, this time in his human form, Kazuha beamed up at him. "Did you see Hei-chan on your way here?"

With a quick nod of his head, realizing that she was asking for show, Heiji beamed down at her, before glancing over towards Kaito and Aoko, acting as if he was rather surprised to see the two of them here. Glancing back towards Kazuha, he made another show of asking her why they were here in sign language. Maybe it was the fox blood that was flowing through him now, but he was slowly getting the feeling that he was getting somewhat better at lying.

Or well, maybe it was just _easier_ to lie when he couldn't say anything.

"Ah, this is Kuroba Kaito and Nakamori Aoko. They came to visit to see Hei-chan." Kazuha told him, smiling at him as Heiji took a seat next to her, crossing his legs in front of him. "You've already met them, haven't you?"

With a nod of his head, Heiji grinned at them both, reaching into his back pocket to pull out his notebook and pen, in the off chance that he needed it. If they really had only come here just to see well, _himself_ , then with the fox supposedly gone now, they would both probably leave soon.

Come to think of it, wouldn't it be possible for Kid to be impersonating one of these two? Casting a careful eye between the two of them, he pondered this possibility. It was a bit early for him to infiltrate the inn, but he'd heard from Kudo that he'd done something like this before, where he had impersonated that uncle from the detective agency for some time. That had been unrelated to a heist, however. The Inspector's daughter and her childhood friend each would have easy access to the proceedings, and _plenty_ of time to set traps and gather information. It would be the perfect disguise- the only one better would be the Inspector himself.

Well, although no matter how perfect Kid was at impersonating other people, _someone_ would probably notice something after awhile. He was just a human, after all. Still, he'd keep them both in mind for the near future, just in case.

"Yes, we've met briefly." Kaito said, nodding his head, a slight shudder running down his spine at the careful way the Osakan detective studied him. If it weren't for the fact that he appeared to be studying Aoko just as intently, he might actually be worried- but it looked like he was just simply considering his options. "Although, I've actually heard about you before, Hattori-kun."

 **Eh? Really?** Heiji wrote, blinking a little at his comment, his suspicions momentarily put aside. He couldn't help but be a little excited whenever someone told him something like that- and judging from the dry look he caught Kazuha making out of the corner of her eyes, he guessed it was showing on his face. **What? Ya a fan?**

"Ah, it's not that." Aoko said, shaking her head. "Actually, we have a classmate by the name of Hakuba Saguru. You've heard of him, right? He told us that he worked with you on a case before, Hattori-kun."

 _Whoa_. That was _quite_ the face he made at the mere _mention_ of the half-British detective's name, Kaito couldn't help but think to himself, watching as an expression of vivid annoyance all but bloomed across Heiji's face. This guy sure could shift gears quickly! Well, it was a feeling that he could sympathize with- it was too bad they were on opposite sides here, because he got the vague feeling that he might actually be able to get along with Heiji under more normal circumstances.

 **Yeah, I know the guy, unfortunately.** Heiji wrote, and vaguely, Kaito wondered how he managed to make even his handwriting seem angry. He had kind of suspected that Heiji probably cared for Hakuba very much in the same fashion that his fellow high school detective cared for Heiji- which is to say, not very much at all. **Yer classmates of that stiff? My sympathies.**

"Hakuba-san didn't seem that bad to me." Kazuha noted with a slight frown. She had only briefly met the young man, as they had parted ways almost as soon as they were done with the police. He'd been quite polite to her, which only seemed to color Heiji's impression of him all the more. "Ah, but is here, by any chance? He's a high school detective too, right, Heiji?"

"He's not here." Kaito said, shaking his head, mentally thanking the powers that be for that. He hoped it _stayed_ that way too- Conan and Heiji were more than enough to deal with at the moment. "He was back in England again, the last I checked. Well, he does sort of appear on a whim back in Japan though, but I don't think he's coming."

Well, if he _were_ here, maybe he and Heiji would distract each other so much that it would make Kaito's job _easier_ , rather than harder.

"Ah, but that's right, Heiji! Don't you need to go look around the inn?" Kazuha asked, glancing over at him. If they kept talking about Hakuba, she knew it would only make him angrier. "You were saying something about it earlier. You've got a lot of work to do before Kid shows up, don't you?"

'Ya tryin' ta shoo me away, Kazuha?' Heiji signed towards her, quirking a brow. 'Be careful around that Kuroba-han, though. I'm gettin' a weird feelin' from the way he was askin' questions about me earlier. Don't tell him too much now.'

'I won't, I won't.' Kazuha signed back, her own hands somewhat unsure, hoping that she was making herself clear. She was better at interpreting it than doing it herself, really. She got the feeling that this wasn't something he wanted Kaito to overhear, even if he could only hear one side of the conversation. 'Don't worry, Heiji. Nobody's going to learn your secret from me.'

Nodding his head, Heiji reached out, lightly ruffling her hair, not quite noticing the red tint that crept on her cheeks as he did so. Rising to his feet, he quickly turned to a different page in his notebook, one he'd already long since written a message on. **Well, I'm headin' out then. See ya later!**

Giving the group a mock salute and a quick grin, Heiji departed the room. Now would probably be a good time to link up back with Conan and take a look around the inn together. The police would probably start showing up tomorrow, so he wanted a chance to make a mental map of the place before they all started bustling about. It would be a good chance to discuss a few things with his shrunken friend as well- namely, the fact that Kuroba Kaito was acting some questions that rubbed him the wrong way.

There was also a slightly uneasy feeling to the air that he picked up from time to time- and that too, was starting to bother him. Perhaps Kid wasn't the only one with their eyes on the Mermaid's Tear.

* * *

"You're planning something, aren't you, Hattori?"

The grin that Conan's question earned him from his best friend did _nothing_ to assuage his fears. There was that glint that he had cause to know all too well- one that told him that yes, Heiji was in fact planning something, and something rather devious at that. It had been there since the start, really- from the first time that they crossed paths in the inn's lobby. It had only been growing over the course of the day, and as they drew to the conclusion of their patrol of the inn, getting a good idea of the layout and theorizing how Kid might use certain aspects of it to his advantage, it was starting to bother him.

 **Whatever gives ya that idea, Kudo?** Heiji wrote, doing nothing to mask the wide grin on his face. Well, there was no point in hiding it from his friend- other than that it might be more fun that way. Kazuha had observed that it seemed as if his mischievous streak had gotten rather strong lately, and she was probably entirely right in that regard. It didn't really feel like anything had changed all that much in regards to his overall personality since accepting his current true nature- but he guessed it was true that a few things here and there had shifted.

Such things were probably all too obvious to _both_ of his best friends- the one who had known him all of his life, and the one who had come to know him well over the course of the past year. Speaking of Kazuha though, there was a matter that he needed to discuss with her- he just hoped that she would _agree_ to it.

"Don't just write that name where anyone can see it." Conan advised him, narrowing his eyes. His annoyance lasted only a second, before he heaved a long sigh, locking eyes with Heiji, a rather expectant look to them. "So? What is it that you're planning, exactly? Kid's pretty clever, so if you're not careful, you might wind up exposing yourself, you know."

 **Well, it's not like he's really in position ta tell anyone in the first place.** Heiji wrote, crossing his legs in front of them. After scouting out the inn, the two of them had found a nice spot in the courtyard- there was still some time to kill before they had to all meet up for dinner. **But don't worry, don't worry! I'll be careful! Besides, even if he does figure somethin' like that out, there's a chance I might be able ta hold his own identity against him, ya know?**

"Well, if you say so." Conan frowned a little, a rather skeptical look on his face that didn't quite suit his childish features. "Even if you do figure it out using that nose of yours, I don't want to know, Hattori. If I don't catch him myself, it's meaningless."

 **Ya make it sound like I don't plan on catchin' him myself!** Tapping his notebook to get across the protest that he would otherwise carry in his voice, Heiji frowned a little, before his expression gave way to a slight shrug. **Well, it's true that I do have somewhat of an unfair advantage now. If I catch him, it's gonna be with my human abilities, an' not anythin' else. 'Sides, Kid's not really my thing anyways, an' I've only really been hired ta keep him from runnin' off with the jewel, so catchin' him is somethin' I'll leave ta you, Kudo.**

"I _just said_ to stop writing that name, didn't I?" Conan asked, heaving a slight sigh. "Well, the real trick is determining who Kid's going to disguise himself as. I imagine you'd be able to tell by smell right away if he disguised as someone we've already met, which, by the way, is _still weird_ ," he noted, quirking a slight brow, "...but there's still a chance it might not go as smoothly at that. You know there's really a chance that he might try and disguise himself as Kazuha-chan, like they were saying at the beach earlier, right?"

Nodding his head, Heiji only beamed at him again. **Well, if he does somethin' like that, ya best believe I'm gonna kick his butt harder than I was plannin' on already.**

"Don't overdo it, Hattori." Conan noted. "Well, I guess there's also the chance he might try and disguise as _you_. Like you mentioned earlier, the Inspector and his daughter and his friend are possible candidates as well- not to mention Ran and Sonoko."

Speaking of the Inspector's daughter and her friend, he had to admit that he was a little worried about the line of questioning that Kaito had put Kazuha through earlier. Heiji had told him all about it, and while it could simply be nothing more than run of the mill curiosity about what he thought was an unusual pet, if there was one thing Conan knew full well, it was that even innocent questions could pose a danger if one dug too deep. Whatever the case, for Heiji's sake, it might be a good idea if he kept a close eye on this Kuroba Kaito.

Heiji might bumble and trip over himself sometimes, but at the end of the day, he did his best to help protect his friend's secret. If he could, Conan wanted to repay that debt to him- even if he was certain that Heiji would tell him with an easy grin that it was no big deal. There wasn't much he could do for Heiji, not in this small body of his- so what he could do, he would, even if he wasn't asked to.

 **I'd like ta see him** _ **try**_ **an' disguise himself as me, that punk.** Heiji seemed to almost grumble at the mere idea of such a thing, and for a brief moment, Conan could almost envision an angrily twitching tail behind him- which he quickly shook off. Heiji was mostly human right now- he didn't need to start imagining such things when he didn't even have them. **Well, just in case, ya should be careful how ya address me. I guess that makes ya the only safe one?**

"Pretty much." Conan said with a slight nod. "Seriously though, Hattori, what _are_ you planning?"

The other thing that Heiji had mentioned to him- that uneasy feeling in the air- bothered him as well. He hadn't picked up on it himself, but he didn't doubt that there were things Heiji could sense that he couldn't as it stood now. It was worth paying extra attention to his surroundings, just to make sure no one was really planning anything- no one besides Kid and Heiji, that was.

Kazuha too, he supposed- but he imagined that whatever Kazuha was planning on doing to take revenge for Ran's sake against Kid was probably a hell of a lot more straightforward. If he had to be honest, he kind of wanted to see that. Sera kicking him in the face had been something of a highlight, really.

 **I'm just gonna mess with him a little. Payback, ya know?** Heiji's sour look quickly gave way to his usual wide grin. **Don't worry about it so much! It'll stunt yer growth!**

"Shut up, you damn fox." Conan grumbled, shooting him a rather dirty look. "At least I'm not an _animal_."

 **Well, I'm more like a youkai than an animal, really.** Heiji wrote, tilting his head a little. As Conan's expression slowly turned from one of annoyance to a completely blank, dry expression, he couldn't help but grin a little, especially as the pint sized detective reached up, and started rubbing his forehead.

"For my own sake, I'm going to pretend I didn't read that, Hattori." Conan noted, before heaving a sigh. Well, maybe he wasn't in a position to have the right to protest to such things being reality- given the current state of his body. But still, the less he learned about the world that Heiji seemed to be steadily engraining himself in, the better. "...Don't go too far away from me, though."

Sensing what his friend meant, a soft smile graced Heiji's features, as he carefully tucked his notebook away. Reaching out to lightly pat Conan's head, an action which the shrunken teenager didn't quite protest to at the moment, Heiji didn't need words to get the message across that he had no intention of leaving him behind. As many new doors had opened up to him with his current state of being, he'd always be there for his friend- besides, if he went too far over to that side, he was slightly worried that he might forget he belonged here in the first place.

That was something he wouldn't let happen.

* * *

Blearily blinking awake, the unavoidable call of nature rousing him out of his otherwise deep slumber, Kaito grumbled lowly to himself. Careful not to disturb anyone else, he reached out for his cellphone, checking what time it was. One in the morning- at least he'd have plenty of time to get back to sleep. Still, what a pain, he thought to himself, pushing his futon covers off of him and slowly getting to his feet. Glancing to those who slept next to him- Inspector Nakamori using his own body to divide the two childhood friends, he was glad to see that the both were fast asleep.

He would be lying if he said that there hadn't been an uneasy feeling in the back of his mind ever since he sent out his heist notice. As usual, it was picked up by the media, and he imagined that they would start showing up in force tomorrow- or well, today, actually, given the fact that the date had already changed. After all, the jewel he was targeting this time was named the Mermaid's Tear- and out of the many legends surrounding mermaids, the one that the Japanese were most familiar with was that of immortality.

Deep down, he could only hope that maybe he was going to strike gold this time. Somehow, he got the feeling that neither _tantei-kun_ nor _tantei-han_ would take very well to the idea of him destroying the jewel they were trying to protect- but he wasn't about to let that stop him if this Mermaid's Tear really _did_ turn out to be the item that he was looking for.

He had the vague feeling that _those_ guys might try and show up ever since before he had arrived here. Part of checking out the inn was to check out the inn patrons- and he had breathed a slight sigh of relief when it seemed like there were no guests who were very suspicious. He'd asked the innkeeper, and she'd told him that she had redirected any other guests who weren't related to the upcoming heist to other inns, on the off chance that Kid might sneak in as one of the guests.

Well, he _had_ , but he wasn't about to tell her that. A good effort though, he supposed.

Still, that didn't mean they might be lurking around- and with Aoko here, he couldn't help but be a little nervous. Not to mention that pint sized detective- that kid got himself in enough trouble on his own, judging from that _damn exploding train business_ , he didn't need to get mixed up in that of Kid's own. And if he had any idea about it, he probably would- that kid was the type to not let go of any mystery that presented itself to him.

Honestly, it was like he didn't remember he was only a first grade student sometimes. Somehow he didn't get the impression that Heiji would do all that much to reign him in, and would only encourage him, though he didn't doubt that the Osakan detective was nevertheless invested in the kid's safety. What an odd friendship that pair seemed to have. He'd heard from Ran at dinner that Conan was apparently learning how to be a detective from Heiji- something which the child himself had grumbled at, and something which caused Heiji to beam from ear to ear.

Seriously, what a weird friendship.

At the very least, he was starting to formulate a plan- he'd already picked out who he was going to disguise himself as. It was a bit of a risk, really, but he thought it would pay off in the end. As long as he played his cards right, neither detective would notice a thing. If he was lucky, it might cast suspicion away from himself entirely.

Well, hopefully his worries were for nothing, and everything would go smoothly. Rubbing the back of his head, he carefully crept out of his room, making his way to the toilet. It was on his way back that he paused, glancing out into the interior courtyard, pausing to squint for just a moment.

There, just underneath the faint shimmering moonlight, he _swore_ that he could make out the vague shape of _something_. Creeping behind a column, Kaito peered out from behind it, trying to establish what it was that he was looking at. A trick of the moonlight, creating an illusion? No, it didn't feel like an illusion- there seemed to be _something_ there, though not anything very substantial, at least not by _his_ eyes. Faintly, he could make out an almost human form, and for some reason, it tugged at him, giving him the sense that he should know this person.

What exactly was it that made him think that? And what was it that made him think it was a _person_ to begin with? Slowly realizing that this figure wasn't alone, making out the low, hushed voice of someone speaking in whispers, he squinted, just barely able to make out the figure of the innkeeper herself within the dark night.

Who was she talking to? What was she even doing up this late? It was a bit suspicious.

When the flow of the one sided conversation that he could only faintly make out, not quite able to hear anything from this distance, came to an abrupt stop, Kaito flinched. Hiding himself behind the column again, he held his breath, for a moment feeling as if the eyes of that insubstantial figure had fallen upon him- a vision of deep blue strangely seeming to haunt him.

It was only once that pressure vanished that he let out a long breath, daring to glance out from behind the column once more. Not only was the strange, faintly visible figure gone, but so was the innkeeper- as if they had both vanished without so much as a trace.

What the hell was that? Somehow, he couldn't shake the vague impression that there was something more going on behind the scenes here than he knew about- and that was a rather uneasy feeling.

Kaito didn't like unknowns- _especially_ when it came to his heists. Whatever was going on behind his back here, he was going to find out _what_ it was.

Scratching the back of his head and letting out a long breath, sensing that it was probably safe to move again, Kaito made his way back to his room. Just out of the corner of his eye, he made out the faint image of a fox's tail rounding the corner, heading towards where he knew the pair from Osaka's room was. With a slight frown, Kaito quietly crept down the hallway, just catching sight of the brown fox opening up the sliding door that lead to the room those two were sharing, and entering inside.

Out for a late night walk? Well, foxes were generally nocturnal to begin with, and given how free range the animal seemed to be, he guessed it wasn't really that odd. He had gathered from Kazuha that the fox in question knew any number of tricks, and he'd already seen it open and close the sliding door by itself. He'd already filed it underneath something to watch for during the heist. Kaito Kid wouldn't be able to live it down if he allowed his prize to be snatched away from him by an animal, after all- no matter how smart the animal in question was.

No, rather, what _was_ odd was the fact that when the sliding door was closed, it wasn't a paw that was doing the closing. Rather, it was a hand- and a dark skinned one at that. Quickly darting all the way back behind the wall, Kaito wondered if that was something he should have seen. Was Heiji still awake at this hour as well? What was he still doing up?

Or rather, was the reason why he'd seen something like that because... With a slight frown, Kaito narrowed his eyes in thought. Maybe that silly theory of his wasn't _entirely_ so silly after all.

But if his silly theory was actually true, then... turning his head down towards the hallway, in the direction of the room where the Mermaid's Tear was now safely tucked away for the night, Kaito couldn't help but wonder if perhaps he really had struck gold this time. If Pandora were for real, then he didn't doubt that there were things beyond his comprehension that might be involved with it. If anything, he'd kind of always half expected that much. If there were strange things lurking around the jewel in question, then maybe, just maybe, he'd finally found what he was searching for.

Or perhaps he'd just wandered into someone _else's_ story, one that involved things just slightly outside of his understanding. Well, given what he'd heard of the high school detective of the west's reputation for dealing with the vaguely supernatural- afflicted by the occult, some had said, somehow he didn't feel as surprised as he should be about all of this. He had done a fair bit of research on Heiji ever since he had first shown up at the inn, trying to get to know his otherwise unknown opponent as much as possible.

While it appeared like all of the cases that showed up in the paper revolved around hoaxes, Kaito couldn't help but note just how many of those there were. It left him wondering if perhaps, there was a bit more to the Osakan high school detective than met the eye after all.

 _Tantei-han_ , he decided, turning his head and glancing back down the hallway towards Heiji's room, was rather interesting indeed.


	15. Foxes and Doves

**AN** : Oh hey, here's chapter fifteen! I hope everyone had a very happy Halloween, to those of you who celebrate it! Likewise, I hope everyone enjoyed today's holiday, Discount Candy day, the only holiday that comes more than once a year. Thanks for reading, and if you could, please take a moment to leave a review before you go! (Also to that one anon reviewer, yes, Aoko speaks using third person in Magic Kaito canon herself. Personally, I think it's a cute and fun trait.)

Until next time!

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter Fifteen**

 **Foxes and Doves**

* * *

She was wondering what this unusual pressure that she felt on her stomach was, before she finally cracked her eyes open and to take a look. As she recognized it for what it was, she dropped the head that she had raised up to take a peek back down on her pillow, for a moment feeling as if she shouldn't disturb what was slumbering there. That was, of course, until she reminded herself that the brown fox that had curled up on her stomach and had fallen asleep there wasn't an actual animal, but rather, her childhood friend.

That, she could make move.

"Honestly, Heiji, you have your own futon." Kazuha mumbled, reaching out to scoop the fox up, listening as that earned her a squeak of mental protest from the still sleeping Heiji. Sitting up straight, she set the fox down next to her, heaving a long sigh. "Don't tell me you've gotten into the habit of seeking out warm places. You really are like an animal."

Slowly blinking awake himself, ears perking up, Heiji dimly glanced up at his childhood friend, before letting out a loud yawn, stretching himself out. Only dimly aware what she was grumbling about, he frowned a little as he sat back down, having sworn that he had in fact fallen asleep on his futon last night, when he'd finally gone to bed. Had he gotten up in the middle of the night or something?

If seeking out a warm spot like it were instinct was all he had been doing, then that was fine, but if there was some _other_ kind of reason for it... well, he was frankly grateful that foxes couldn't blush.

 _Sorry, sorry._ Quick to apologize nevertheless, Heiji glanced up towards his childhood friend, putting the best grin his canine features could manage on his face. _Didn't mean ta._

"Well, as long as you're sorry." Kazuha said simply, letting out a loud yawn, doing a bit of stretching herself. Slowly rising to her feet, she rubbed the back of her head, shaking off the last traces of sleep. Noticing Heiji rise to his feet out of the corner of her eye, she glanced back down towards him. "You going somewhere, Heiji?"

 _Mornin' patrol._ Heiji reported to her, sparing her a brief glance before he made his way to the door of their room. _Ah, that's right, Kazuha- ya didn't forget what I talked ta ya about last night, did ya?_

"How could I _possibly_ forget something like that?" Kazuha asked, heaving a long sigh, placing her hands on her hips as she cast a slightly annoyed look down towards him. "Honestly, think of the person you're asking here, and _what_ you're asking them to do. I can understand why you're not asking it of Conan-kun, but _still_. It's true that I do want a bit of revenge on you for that possession incident, but that isn't exactly what I had in mind."

 _It'll be fine, it'll be fine!_ Heiji was quick to reassure her, sliding the door to their room open with one of his paws. _Anyways, I'm gonna do a sweep of the inn, an' then I'll join ya an' the others fer breakfast. No need ta wait up fer me._

"Come in human form, idiot." Kazuha said lightly, letting out another loud yawn, blinking a little before she headed over towards the mirror, picking up her brush and seeing what she could do about her sleep tousled hair. "Ran-chan was just saying yesterday that it feels strange that she hasn't been able to see you as much since she got here."

 _I will, don't worry!_ Barely sparing her another glance, Heiji made his way out of their room, sliding the door shut behind him. Making his way down the hallway, he carefully took a whiff of the air, trying to pick out if there were any scents that he wasn't familiar with compared to yesterday. Frowning a little, his eyes narrowed as he picked up a trace of something like that- but whoever the owner of the scent was, it appeared that they weren't still inside the inn at the moment.

It was almost as if someone had come to check the place out late last night, while everyone was sleeping. Kid? Or maybe one of his accomplices? It was a possibility.

"Hattori." Ears perking up at the sound of his friend's voice, Heiji turned back to face the shrunken detective who had called out to him. Given the slight glower on his face, doubtlessly caused by having to refer to the animal in front of him in such a fashion, therefore forcing himself to once again come to terms with the reality of the situation, he could quickly tell that Conan, as always, was a grumpy morning riser. He was probably only calling out to him like this in the first place because no one else was around. "You're still walking around like that?"

 _Well, it is easier ta move around like this. Besides, if Kid's already here, he's a lot more likely ta let his guard down around somethin' that he_ _ **thinks**_ _is a normal animal._ Heiji reasoned, trying to control the slight way his tail started wagging from almost the moment he had heard his friend's voice. Come on now, he didn't need to be _that_ obvious about it. _Ya got a problem with it, Kudo?_

"You know that I do." Conan stated plainly, before heaving a long sigh. Well, whatever. It was either this, or his best friend being dead. Compared to that option, becoming some kind of strange fox creature- he wasn't quite ready to admit that he might actually be a _youkai_ just yet- was definitely preferred. "Well, you do have a point about that, though. Are you coming to breakfast? Ran and Sonoko haven't quite woken up yet, so I'll probably wait a little while for them."

 _Rather, I'm surprised that ya woke up before Neechan._ Heiji blinked, tilting his head slightly, before nodding it. _Yeah, I'll come ta breakfast in awhile. There's some things that I need ta check out first. There's a scent lingerin' around here that wasn't here when I went ta bed last night, so I want ta check that out._

"She usually has to wake up early to make breakfast for everyone else, so she likes to sleep in a little like this when she doesn't have to." Conan reported, letting out a slight yawn, grimacing at the rest of Heiji's words. He was getting used to hearing his damn voice floating around in his head again, damn it all. "That does sound like it could be trouble. Do you think it's Kid?"

 _Could be. I don't know what that guy smells like, after all._ Heiji stated simply. _If I find anythin' out, I'll let ya know though, Kudo._

"Right." Nodding his head, Conan reached out towards Heiji, scratching underneath the fox's chin, a leering grin on his face. "Then, I'll leave that all up to you, _Hei-chan_ ~."

 _Ya want me ta bite ya, Kudo? That could be arranged, ya know._ With a slightly angry twitch of his tail, Heiji moved his chin away from Conan's fingers, stalking just out of his reach. This was probably revenge for something, wasn't it? Well two could play at _that_ game. _I can't tell if yer havin' fun with this, or ya hate this._

"A bit of both, really." Conan admitted, the gleam of his glasses barely hiding the teasing glint in his eyes. If his excuse was possessing fox blood, then he couldn't help but wonder what _Conan's_ excuse was for possessing such a evil streak of his own.

 _I figured._ Heiji curtly replied. _I'll catch up with ya later though, Kudo._ With that, he gave him a quick nod, darting out of range again to prevent Conan from laying his hands on him once more, hurrying down the hall after the trace of a scent that he had caught. Taking a whiff of the air, his eyes narrowed, and he quickly darted down a different corridor, this one leading him back outside, to the back of the inn. Giving the door that blocked his way a test, he noticed that it appeared to be unlocked. Getting it open enough to make a small enough gap to squeeze through- regular doors were harder to work with paws than sliding doors- he paused as he stepped outside, glancing up at the lock. Just like he thought, there were clear signs that it had been tampered with.

He should definitely report that to Conan, the Inspector, and the innkeeper alike. Somehow, he got the feeling that neither Kid nor his accomplices would leave behind such shoddy work. Was there someone else involved in this, maybe? That might explain the heavy feeling that he had been sensing since he had arrived here yesterday. Somehow he doubted that the phantom thief would give off such a feeling himself.

Tonight was the heist, so it was imperative that he figure out what that was before it took place. If there was a chance that it could put people at risk, then it was best to try and nip it in the bud before then.

Jumping off the porch that wrapped around the inn into the cool morning air, Heiji's eyes narrowed, the lingering scent all but fading away with the sea breeze. He probably wouldn't be able to follow it anymore from here- but whoever they were, they had probably left the inn the same way they had come in. If it _was_ Kid, then it didn't appear like he was staying among the guests here, nor had he replaced any of them during the night. Not unless he had some way of masking his scent as well, which he couldn't help but doubt.

Catching something out of the corner of his eye, he turned his head, glancing upwards. Although the inn itself was quite low to the ground, low enough so that it was impossible for Kid to use his famous hang glider, not so far away from it was a rather towering and imposing cliff face, that jutted out over the sea. He had asked the innkeeper about it yesterday, and she had told him it was normally sealed off, since there were always both native island kids and visitors alike every year who tried to leap into the sea from it. There were rocks down there, she had told him, so it wasn't safe.

Squinting, he could faintly make out the shape of figures milling about on the top of the cliff. From this distance, he couldn't tell if what he was seeing were simply ghosts of unfortunate souls who had died there, or if there were actually people out there- his vision wasn't _that_ sharp, after all. There appeared to be a pair of them, and the more he watched them, the more he got the crawling feeling that they were watching the inn.

Humans then, maybe.

"Oh?" Ears perking up at the sound of a voice that was becoming somewhat familiar to him, Heiji spared a glance in the direction of the young man who had emerged from the open door, doubtlessly drawn out by the curiosity of it. "What are you staring at so intently, Hei-chan?"

Tail twitching slightly at the sound of the name that had been thrust on this form of his without his input, Heiji nevertheless turned his attention back towards the cliff. This was perfect timing- he could use Kaito here to confirm if those figures that he could barely make out were actually human. This guy didn't feel like he had much of a sixth sense, after all.

He had definitely been spying on him last night, but that was probably pure coincidence. Still, he should be a little bit more careful around this one, his instincts were telling him. It probably would be a good idea to listen to them.

"The cliff?" Kaito asked, pushing the door all the way open and stepping out into the cool morning air, rubbing his bare arms as he did so. It was pretty warm during the day still, warm enough to enjoy the beach- but it was still pretty chilly in the early morning. "Is there something about the cliff?"

Turning his attention towards it, his eyes narrowed, faintly making out two figures milling about up there. For some reason, the sight of them up there gave him something of an uneasy feeling. Were they watching the inn?

"You're watching them?" Kaito asked, sparing a glance down towards the fox, whose intense gaze on the figures hadn't wavered even once. Maybe this fox really _was_ Hattori Heiji after all- that sort of intense gaze was something that didn't seem out of place on a detective's face, even if it was written on canine features. Whether he was a fox that could turn into a human, or a human that could turn into a fox, he really couldn't say- if his theory was true at all, that was. "That _is_ a bit suspicious. I thought that place was off limits."

He knew that much, of course. He had gone to check it out yesterday himself, only to find the path up there blocked. A very stern looking old man who had appointed himself as a watchman was there yesterday, looking ready to chase him off if he tried even the slightest funny thing, but he probably wasn't still there at this hour.

"Maybe I should tell the Inspector." Kaito mumbled, before narrowing his eyes. It could be nothing, but if there was a chance that it was those guys- he didn't want to get the Inspector mixed up with them. If anything happened to him because of them, then Aoko would be all alone- and he would never be able to forgive himself for that. On the other hand, checking it out himself, wearing his own face, might be a bit too risky.

Thoughts abruptly interrupted as he made out the brown fox rising to his feet out of the corner of eyes, the animal took a few small steps forward, before it suddenly broke out into a run, racing in the direction of the cliff. "Oi, wait a second!" Kaito called out, for a moment, half filled with the urge to chase it. He fought it back however, taking a step back, wondering if this was really alright.

Well, even if it was those guys, he doubted that they would pay much attention to a fox. A bit ironic, really, given their own animal codenames. Well that said, he probably wouldn't be paying half as much attention to the animal himself were it not for what he had accidentally overheard. With a slight frown on his face, Kaito turned around, rubbing the back of his head, eyes finally falling on the lock of the door he had exited the inn from.

A lock that had unmistakably been tampered with.

* * *

By the time he reached the cliff, the two figures were already gone.

Were he capable of doing as such, Heiji would have sworn underneath his breath. Taking a whiff of the air, his eyes narrowed as he quickly recognized one of the two scents that still lingered in this place, not quite swept away by the sea breeze just yet, as unmistakably belonging to whoever it was who had broke into the inn last night. Kid, or his accomplices? A third party? He didn't know, and not knowing made him nervous, the fur on the back of his neck rising up.

Slipping past the barricade that blocked off access to the cliff, Heiji quickly scampered up it, turning his gaze back down towards the inn, narrowing his eyes. From here, the entire inn could be seen with ease- it was a good location for getting a fix on the layout from. Vaguely he could make people milling about by the front entrance- Kaito must have already gone back inside, since he couldn't make him out around the back. Not that he could quite establish who the people milling around the inn were from this distance- so if someone really was watching the inn from this place, they would have had to have used binoculars, or something along those lines.

Turning on his heel, Heiji quickly made his way back to where he had come from, pausing to switch between his fox and human form behind the cover of some trees. Cracking some of the joints in his neck, a frown set itself on Heiji's face as his fingers lingered over the scars around his throat for a moment, before he heaved a long sigh. He was definitely going to have to tell Conan about this matter at least, though perhaps it wasn't time tell the Inspector just yet. There _were_ some questions that he wanted to ask of him, however.

Heading back towards the inn, Heiji carefully studied his surroundings, keeping an eye out for any suspicious characters. Most of the people milling about in this early morning hour were either locals, or early rising tourists, out for a morning jog while it was still cool. He didn't really see anyone who stuck out to him one way or another, nor did he pick anyone out who carried the same scent that he had picked up. They must have gotten in a car and driven away- there was no way he could track _that_.

Taking a turn away from the front entrance to head to the back of the inn, Heiji once again arrived at the door whose lock had been tampered with. Glancing around, he strained his ears, trying to see if anyone was coming. Once he had established that nobody seemed to be, he turned back towards the lock in question, hovering a hand just in front of it. If he used that psychometry he seemed to have developed, he might be able to pick up something from it, but...

Touching the lock with his bare hands might also disturb the evidence. Swearing wordlessly underneath his breath, the most he could manage right now, he tucked his hand back away. Even if the culprit was careless enough to leave traces, he doubted that they were careless enough to not wear gloves. He didn't want his fingerprints to be on it. While on the surface, it might seem like a useful power, even if he couldn't use what he glimpsed with it as direct evidence, in reality it wasn't actually always that useful. The risk of accidentally damaging evidence outweighed whatever he might be able to glimpse using it, and it wasn't like he could use it on people.

Turning on his heel, Heiji headed back towards the front of the inn, coming in through the lobby. Whatever the case, he would have to tell the Inspector about the lock being tampered with, provided Kaito hadn't noticed that much and told him already. Well, he wasn't a detective though, so he very well might not have.

"Oh, Hattori-kun." Ran's voice caught his attention, Heiji turned to look towards her with a slight blink. Still clad in the robes that the inn had provided them was not only Ran, but that Sonoko girl as well- Conan too, for that matter, he noticed as he glanced down, just making him out by Ran's knees. "Did you go out for a morning walk or something?"

Quickly nodding his head, Heiji grinned at the three of them. He'd shifted into casual clothing out of force of habit, but he should have changed into something resembling the robes the inn handed out- well, it was a bit too late for that. Casting Conan a look, he silently told him that there were things that he wanted to discuss with him when he got the chance. But still, look at him all cozy with his so-called _Neechan_ like that- that girl was _definitely_ going to take more than few issues up with him when she learned the truth about him.

"I see!" Nodding her head, Ran easily believed his words, seeing no reason to doubt them. "Then, do you want to come with us to breakfast? The three of us were about to go together. I think Kazuha-chan might already be there."

With another nod of his head, Heiji quickly closed the gap between the three of them. He'd reached behind to his back pocket also out of force of habit, before he had stopped himself, realizing it might be a little bit odd if he'd even brought the notebook with him out on a walk. That too, was something he just manifested up when he needed it. Honestly, he couldn't get that name soon enough- but hopefully by tomorrow, he would be able to walk out of here with it. He'd begin making arrangements to track them down as soon as he returned home.

"Was this guy really this quiet before?" Sonoko spoke up suddenly, her question mostly directed towards Ran, peering over towards Heiji with mild curiosity. From the way she remembered him during their brief meetings, she got the impression that he was the type who was difficult to shut up.

"Heiji-niichan lost his voice recently!" Conan piped up, glancing up towards Sonoko. Now that he thought about it, nobody had actually told Sonoko about Heiji's voice yet. They hadn't really interacted much ever since they had arrived at the inn either, come to think of it. "That's why he can't talk now. See the scars around his throat?"

"Ah, now that you mention it." Sonoko said with a small frown, eyes darting towards them. She had taken notice of them before, the first time that had met on the beach, but she hadn't thought much of them at the time. "I see. Sorry. I guess I asked something pretty insensitive."

Waving away her worries, Heiji flashed her a grin. At this point, he was getting sort of used to that reaction. Placing a hand against his throat, he dimly wondered if this spiritual healer could do something about the stubborn scars that being strangled had left behind- they didn't usually last this long. He assumed that he still had them in fox form as well, though it was hard to tell underneath the fur.

"So, do you think Kid-sama is already here?" Sonoko asked, changing the subject as she scooted a bit closer towards him. Just from the expression in her eyes alone, he could more or less guess the reason why she was asking. "Do you think he's already disguised himself as a guest? His heist is tonight, after all!"

Shrugging his shoulders, Heiji merely shook his head, telling her that he didn't know that yet. At the very least, aside from that one scent, he had smelled anything else out of the ordinary- although now that he was thinking about scents, he managed to catch the scent of breakfast coming out from the dining hall, and found his cheeks flushing a little as his stomach loudly growled in response.

Well, at least _one_ part of him was still loud.

"Then, shall we go get some breakfast?" Ran asked, casting a smile at him, not missing the way her young ward let out something of a snicker. As they started heading towards the main dining hall, she glanced back towards Heiji. "Well? How do you think things will work out tonight, Hattori-kun?"

Giving her a quick thumbs up, Ran seemed to be rather satisfied by that answer, and turned back around. Glancing around the dining hall as they entered, Heiji quickly spotted Kazuha, half starting to call out to the ponytailed girl, before stopping himself short, a burning feeling rising up in his throat as he began to use his voice. Heaving a sigh instead, he made his way over towards her, tapping her on the shoulder as he took a seat next to her.

"Oh, Heiji!" Starting a bit when he suddenly tapped her shoulder, she nonetheless gave him a quick smile. "Did you finish your morning patrol? Find anything out of the ordinary?"

'Yeah. I'll have ta bring it up with the Inspector after breakfast.' Heiji signed to her, nodding is head. Given that breakfast was going on as normal, it was obvious that whatever the person last night had come to do, they hadn't made off with the Mermaid's Tear. The innkeeper had already told him that she checked it first thing every morning, so it was probably still safe.

Glancing around the dining hall, he made out Kaito's bed head with ease, tilting his head a little as he took notice of the fact that he was almost glaring down at what was one his tray. Blinking a little, Heiji glanced down towards his own, wondering what was on it that caused him such distress. The girl next to him, Aoko, he recalled, seemed amused enough by it, but Heiji simply shrugged it off, splitting apart his chopsticks and gratefully digging into the grilled fish.

That Kuroba Kaito was kind of weird.

Well, not that he was much of one to talk.

* * *

"Eh, suspicious people?"

Blinking a little, Kaito glanced up at the Inspector. He was taking a chance he'd given him to go over the arrangement of the mermaid museum that the Mermaid's Tear was going to be displayed in that night, doing some final checks of one of the tricks that he had set up. Thankfully, it hadn't been noticed or disturbed yet- he'd taken quite a bit of care to ensure that it would go unnoticed.

What he didn't expect was the Inspector speaking freely to him about information only he should know. He had decided to keep silent on the matter of the people that he had noticed on the cliff, though he knew that the Inspector had already been told about the tampered lock. That in itself wasn't unusual- he didn't doubt that one of the two detectives, be it the fox eyed one or the pint sized one, was going to notice it eventually. But the only other person who had been with him when he had noticed the suspicious people- and had in fact, noticed it before him, wasn't even a _person_.

It was a fox.

"Where did you hear about such a thing from?" Hoping that his interest wasn't too apparent, Kaito got to his feet, tucking the cellphone that he had made a show of dropping so he could check on the trick without rousing suspicion, back away in his pocket.

"From Hattori-kun, right after breakfast." Inspector Nakamori told him, barely sparing a glance over towards the youth that he knew so well. "Right after he reported the tampered lock to me." The innkeeper had already made arrangements to get it fixed, so it should be repaired by the time the heist started that night. "Asked me a lot of questions about previous Kid heists after that, if there had been any reports of suspicious people around them in the past."

How did Heiji know about the people he hadn't been there to see? Kaito had still been watching them when they had turned away from the cliff, and left it behind. Well, there was a chance that he might have noticed them from elsewhere, but it was more than a little strange. It wasn't like the fox could tell him.

Unless of course, the fox _was_ him, which more and more, Kaito was slowly starting to suspect was true. Thinking back on his early morning encounter with the supposed pet fox he'd been introduced to as Hei-chan, Kaito tried to recall if he had let anything show past his usual poker face- and could only hope that he hadn't let his own guard down. As much as the fox wasn't looking at him, there was still a chance that it might have noticed something.

 _Especially_ if that fox really was a high school detective (or if the high school detective was actually a fox? Kaito didn't quite understand how all this might actually work just yet). They were usually a highly perceptive lot.

"So? What did you tell him?" Kaito asked. "Now that you've mentioned it, I've heard some rumors like that before- are they really true?"

"So it would seem." With a nod of his head, a rather serious expression crossed Nakamori's face. If he knew those suspicious people might be showing up here, he would never brought Aoko with him, no matter how much she begged. Neither her nor Kaito, for that matter. He had a responsibility to his deceased friend to ensure that no harm befall the son that he left behind. It was part of the reason he had never brought such people up to his daughter- that, and he didn't want her to worry. "I told him as much as I know. He came out all this way to help with the investigation after all."

That could be a bother- he'd rather keep the police and the detectives alike that were chasing him in the dark about those guys, at least until he managed to find what he was looking for. After that? It would be anyone's game, and he was more than happy to hand deliver evidence to the police if needed. After all, these were the bastards that killed his father- just destroying what they were searching for wouldn't be nearly enough for him.

Besides, from the way Kazuha had described her childhood friend to him, Hattori Heiji had a knack for finding trouble. Regardless if he was or wasn't actually some kind of shapeshifting fox, he'd rather avoid having anyone get mixed up in the mess that was his alone to deal with. Even if he barely knew them.

Besides, fox or not, he got the feeling that he liked Heiji _way_ better than he did Hakuba. It would be a shame if anything happened to such an interesting breed of high school detective. A bit like losing an endangered species, when he compared him to all the others that he knew- which, admittedly, was only two, and the second only barely at that.

The next time he faced off with Kudo Shinichi, he would show that cocky Heisei Holmes bastard a thing or two.

"That _does_ sound like trouble." Kaito said, a frown crossing his face. "But don't worry about me, Inspector. Or Aoko, for that matter. I'll keep an eye out for her, I promise."

"I thought that you would, Kaito." Nodding his head, Nakamori took a step back, studying the case in which the Mermaid's Tear rested once again. Kaito could be unexpectedly reliable when it came to things like that, after all. "Well, talented high school detective or not, we'll just see if he has the stuff to keep up with Kid. Even _I_ haven't gotten that close to catching him myself, so I'm not about to let some youngster outshine me."

Laughing a little to himself, deciding not to comment so as to not wound the Inspector's pride, Kaito merely turned his attention back towards the Mermaid's Tear again. Tonight was the night, and one way or another, he was going to make off with his prize. Even if he _was_ dealing with a detective who might very well be the type to make birds his natural prey.

Be he human, fox, or even some kind of youkai, there was no way that he was going to lose this match.

* * *

"If there really are suspicious people lurking about, what are you planning on doing about it, Hattori?"

Frankly, the things his friend had told him troubled him as well, especially the information that he had gotten from the Inspector. He hadn't paid that much attention to Kid heists that he didn't have any involvement in himself before, but he sort of doubted details like the ones that Inspector Nakamori had provided Heiji were something that the police intended to let the general public know about. If information like that got out, it could potentially cause a panic, given how popular the so called Magician in the Moonlight was.

 **I don't really know. I don't know what their intentions might be in the first, or if the ones that I saw really are those suspicious characters.** Holding up his notebook to him, a tight frown crossed Heiji's face, even as he busied himself writing a bit more. **There's still a chance that they might be those accomplices of Kid that ya told me about before, but given their shoddy work of pickin' that lock, I kind of doubt it.**

"That's true." Conan admitted, nodding his head. He was under the impression that any accomplices that Kid had, while they might not be as skilled as he was, would have to measure up to a certain level of ability nevertheless. Someone who had done such an obvious job of forcing open such a simple lock wouldn't make the cut. "Still, be careful, Hattori. If we don't know who it is that we're dealing with here, all the more so."

 **Be careful, be careful, I swear, between ya an' Kazuha, that's the only thing people are tellin' me these days!** Grumbling a little as he all but shoved the notebook in Conan's face, he pulled it away a little bit so that he could actually read what he had written. **Find a new track already!**

"You did almost _nearly die_ not even two months ago, Hattori. Can you blame us?" Conan asked, turning a sharp gaze up towards his friend. "Frankly, you _should_ be dead, were it not for _literal divine intervention_." He couldn't help but grumble as he admitted that much, as much as he had born witness to the memory of it himself. He half wanted to meet this Grandmother Fox character- he didn't quite trust her, as much as he owed to her. "Of course we're worried about you. Kid is one thing, but we don't know who these guys are, or what they want, other than that they're willing to use force to get it."

 **Well, I think we can make a guess as ta what they want, at the very least.** Heiji wrote, all but brushing off Conan's concerns, something which the shrunken detective didn't miss. **If they're chasin' Kid heists, chances are they're probably after whatever it is that this thief of yers is lookin' fer.**

"He's not _my_ thief." Conan corrected him, before slowly nodding his head. "But you've got a point. Given the circumstances, I highly doubt that they're in league with Kid. More like they're trying to work _against_ him- or rather, he might be the one trying to work against _them_."

 **Maybe that guy's got somethin' in common with ya after all, Kudo. Shady organizations an' all that.** Heiji couldn't help but grin a little at that, especially at the glare that Conan sent his way after reading his words. **Well, whatever happens, I bet neither Kid nor those shady guys will expect someone like me showin' up. Ah, but that's right, Kudo. Don't forget- just in case, ya should be careful about what name ya use fer me at tonight's heist.**

"You've only told me _several_ times now." Conan pointed out, raising his brows. He wasn't about to forget something that Heiji had brought up at least _four times_ at this point. "Which leads me to suspect that this has something to do with the part of your plan that you're not telling me. What do I have to do to get you to spit it out, Hattori?"

 **It's just more fun that way! Besides, ya know what they say, right? To fool yer friends, ya gotta fool yer allies first.** With a broad grin, Heiji reached out, ruffling his hair, getting a bit of revenge for earlier. **Well, someone as smart as you will probably figure it out easily enough. Provided that ya open yer mind a little.**

"I really _don't_ like the sound of that." Conan noted, heaving a long sigh. Honestly- Heiji might be his rival, but he didn't have to attempt to one up him on _weirdness factor_ too. He'd definitely concede that match hands down to him, though. Two months ago, he would have never thought it was possible to get stranger than shrinking because of mysterious poison. Apparently, he was wrong- so very, very wrong.

Though if he wanted to be perfectly honest, between the two of them, Heiji was _always_ the weirder of the pair by virtue of personality alone. Honestly, what kind of high school student, a _detective_ much less, thought it was a good idea to give a small child _booze_ , and claim that it was a cure for the common cold? Nevermind the fact that he had been carrying it around in the first place.

Maybe he'd always been influenced by that trace of fox blood that he'd already possessed long before this. As much as he hated to admit it, that would certainly explain some things.

 **Yer no fun, Kudo.** Somehow hearing Heiji's whine even though he couldn't actually speak, Conan only found himself heaving yet another sigh. **Besides, don't ya wanna see the look on Kid's face when he gets one upped by a fox?**

"...I do." Conan admitted after a moment. He couldn't lie- that actually would be pretty amusing. "Still."

 **I know, I know, be careful. Geez, ya sound like my mom these days.** Rising to his feet, Heiji grumbled to himself. **Anyways, we've still got a few hours before the heist begins, but I'm gonna give the museum room a final check over before it gets too crowded with police. Ya wanna come?**

"Did you actually think that I would say no?" Conan couldn't help but ask, a grin surfacing on his face. It wasn't the way that he quite wanted it, but he did have to admit, working with his rival on a Kid heist was pretty fun- even if the rival in question was being just as elusive as the damn phantom thief himself. Somehow he couldn't help but shake the impression that outside of their roles of detective and thief, the two of them would probably get along.

 **That's what I've come ta expect from ya, Kudo!** With a broad grin, Heiji tucked his notepad back away, an undeniable gleam of anticipation shining in his eyes. One way or another, tonight was probably going to be more excitement than he'd been allowed to have in awhile, and he wasn't about to blow it.

Kid and whoever those shady guys were could bring it on, because he was more than ready to take any challengers right now.


	16. Trickster vs Trickster

**AN** : Oh hey, here's the next chapter of this! The Kid arc is probably (probably) going to wind up next chapter, leading into the last arc of this story. There will probably be a continuation in the form of a sequel, at some point, but I don't really want to drag this fic itself on for endless chapters. As always, thanks those of you who read my fic, and especially those of you who take the time to review! I really appreciate it.

Until next time!

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter Sixteen**

 **Trickster vs Trickster**

* * *

There was a glint he knew all too well in the rather unusual eyes of Hattori Heiji.

When he'd first heard of the one known as the high school detective of the west from Hakuba, he hadn't expected him to turn out to be a trickster. Hotblooded and impulsive, maybe, from the rather _vivid_ description that his fellow high school detective gave of him, and _loud_ , certainly- but not a trickster.

As it turned out, Hattori Heiji was in fact, not loud at all- though that might have very well been true at one point. He wasn't _quiet_ , either- it was the way he carried himself, his body language, that gave off an impression that was hard for anyone to miss. Even without the fact that he physically stood out from a crowd, he would have still likely have been someone who would have naturally caught Kaito's eye easily enough. In other circumstances, the two of them might have been friends. The unanswered questions that surrounded him were tantalizing- but while they prompted him to keep a close eye on him, solving his mystery was _not_ the main goal of tonight.

He was, after all, a thief, and not a detective.

If there was one thing that he knew about them from the legends he'd read, it was the fact that foxes were tricksters. Sometimes they were protectors, sometimes they were villains, other times a neutral party that couldn't be judged by human morals- but the one thing that they were, above all else, were tricksters. Creatures of mischief, trickery flowing through their very blood, who could change their shape and twist the way that mortals saw the world around him. If that really _was_ the true nature of the detective of the west, then it was clear to Kaito that he squarely fell on the more heroic side of the scale- elusive though he might be, someone morally ambiguous would have never managed to become half as close as he seemed to be to the likes of Edogawa Conan.

But whether the dark skinned young man carefully going over the security measures one more time was a fox that enjoyed posing as a human, or a human who had been transformed into a fox, such a thing didn't quite matter to him. It was clear that he had tricks up his sleeve- but well, so did he. Such was par for the course for any halfway decent magician. The only thing that Kaito needed to do tonight was to keep in mind that there was a very real chance that one of his opponents might very well not be human.

Which lead him to tonight's disguise, if one could call it that. He had considered many options before settling on this one- Toyama Kazuha had been his prime candidate at first, before he realized that she would have been almost _too_ obvious. Disguising himself as Hattori Heiji on such short notice would be difficult even for himself- it was the eyes that were the problem. He had colored contacts that matched the color of the detective's eyes- but not the _shape_. Given their unusual fox-like pupils, he doubted that he'd be able to come up with a good set on such short notice.

Another time, perhaps.

Besides, he wouldn't have been able to have a match with him if that were the case. The _last_ time he had disguised himself as a high school detective, it hadn't ended well for him at all- sometimes he swore he could _still_ feel his cheek sting from where that Sera Masumi had delivered that ridiculously powerful kick. That had instantly earned her a spot on a list of people to _avoid_ , at all costs.

Obviously, disguising himself as Edogawa Conan was _physically impossible_. For a brief, _very brief_ moment, he had considered using his apparent close resemblance to high school detective Kudo Shinichi to his advantage- but he'd rather not earn the ire of both Mouri Ran and his new detective opponent tonight, which he got the feeling he would get if he tried to pull something like that. Besides, any guy who suddenly up and vanished out of the blue was probably trouble, and the last thing Kaito wanted to do was involve himself in any more trouble than he was already in.

That time on the Mystery Express was a one time thing, and _tantei-kun_ had better be grateful that he had agreed to it, considering how _that_ had turned out. Almost getting blown up in a train car while disguised as some woman he knew nothing about was _not_ on his list of ideal ways to go out. He was certainly concerned for the kid, but on the other hand, he also seemed to be handling whatever it was that he was dealing with _pretty well_ for someone who was probably had a bedtime of around eight o'clock.

There were other possibilities, of course- but in the end, it was the off chance that one of tonight's opponents might not be all that he appeared to be was what had him settling on this one, even if he did feel a bit silly about it. If there was one other thing that he knew foxes- and indeed, members of the canine family as a whole- were well known for, it was their sense of smell. It was a gamble, but it was a gamble that would allow him to get close to his prize in the first place.

Besides, if done well, it might pull him out of the suspicion pool entirely- for everyone but a certain fox eyed detective, that was. But that would be something that he would deal with after the fact- and something that he knew Heiji wouldn't be able to voice easily were that the case. He'd only just been hired to protect the jewel, not to catch him- and frankly, it appeared that outside from this heist, he basically had no real interest in Kaito Kid.

Honestly? Kaito was a _little_ insulted.

Still, in this battle of wits, between trickster and trickster, he had absolutely no intention of backing down. If a magician could win against real magic, then he had full confidence that a master of slight of hand could win over someone who had trickery in their very blood.

No personal feelings of course, _tantei-han_ \- in other circumstances, he would very much enjoy trying to befriend him. But this was a match that not only could he not afford to lose- but he had no interest in doing so either.

That said, it looked like _tantei-kun_ and _tantei-han_ were currently having a rather interesting conversation, if _tantei-kun's_ reactions were anything to go off of. It was a shame that they were too far away to make out what they were saying- he kind of wanted to be a fly on the wall, to see what it was that managed to get _that_ kind of expression on _tantei-kun's_ face.

* * *

No good.

Not only could he not pick up the scent of last night's intruder, but he _also_ couldn't pick up any other out of place scents either. As per his instructions, nobody that Heiji hadn't already met was allowed inside the mermaid museum itself- all of the other police officers were stationed outside of it, or outside of the inn. He'd know at once if Kid was disguising himself as any of them through this method- except that he couldn't pick up even one out of place scent.

Eyes narrowing as he scanned the room again, taking note of each and every person in the room, Heiji frowned. Aside from himself and Conan, there was also the Inspector, his daughter and her friend, Kazuha, Ran, and that Sonoko girl, as well as the innkeeper. It might very well be that Kid wasn't going to disguise as someone to infiltrate the place this time, and had another tactic in mind. It might also very well be that Kid had been among them the whole time, or that he was planning on creating some kind of diversion, and was going to sneak into the room as a police officer after that. Power outages were rather common when it came to him, or so he had read, so he'd have to keep his guard up for anything like that.

The fact that he could more or less see in the dark would be a plus for that situation- but even _he_ couldn't do anything against a smoke bomb. Something like that might actually have _more_ effect on him than it did a normal person if he wasn't careful- though there were certainly also advantages for him there as well.

Glancing down at his watch, he took note of the fact that there were still thirty minutes before the heist began- so there was plenty of time for him to cycle through his thoughts. Feeling a faint tug at his pants, Heiji blinked, glancing down towards Conan, who was looking up at him with a rather expectant gaze. Rubbing the back of his head, Heiji crouched down next to him, pulling out his notebook, flipping it to a page he'd already had cause to write.

 **What's up, Kudo?**

"Have you noticed anything, Hattori?" Dropping his voice so that Heiji was the only one who could hear it, Conan cast another glance around the room. Of course, everyone in the room had already been checked by the Inspector- aside from himself, of course. Watching Heiji grumble after getting pinched by him was quite amusing. "You know, with..."

Watching as his friend trailed off, seemingly unable to finish his sentence, Heiji flashed him a wide grin, before quickly jotting down a message in his notebook. **With my nose, ya mean? No, I haven't noticed anythin' out of the ordinary yet. Not anyone that smells like they could be Kid, or last night's intruders either.** Well, there was a chance that those guys might be waiting to confront Kid after the heist- which depending on how things went, might be something he'd be there for himself.

Still, best to keep an eye- and an ear- out for them. He couldn't say that he wasn't curious about them himself.

"I see." Frowning a little, Conan felt his shoulders slump. It didn't rule out the chance that Kid might have been disguised as one of the Inspector's party from the very beginning, but knowing that the chances that Kid wasn't in the room with them had been cut in half helped him relax a little. He wasn't about to let his guard down though. "So, are you going to tell me, Hattori? What's so important about this jewel that the innkeeper can't afford to have it away from her for even a day or so? He might be a thief, but Kid generally _does_ return what he steals, after all."

Unless this turned out to be whatever it was that he was looking for, of course.

 **Well, that's...** Pausing in his writing, Heiji spared a glance over towards the innkeeper, who exchanged a brief smile with him. **It's a family treasure, passed on down ta her by her grandmother. Ya could say that it's used ta be a part of her old lady, if ya catch my drift.**

"A part of...?" Trailing off a little, Conan could feel his thoughts clicking into place, even as they sent his mind briefly reeling. If that were the case, then the name of the sapphire in question was almost _painfully_ literal. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he took in and let out a long breath, before finally forcing himself to lock eyes with Heiji, wishing he'd wipe that damn grin of his off of his face. "Tell me you're not trying to say that it's _real_."

 **C'mon, mister great detective, I know yer better than that.** Unable to wipe the teasing expression off of his face as Conan scanned his words, Heiji couldn't help but glance back over towards the Mermaid's Tear again. It gleamed as blue as the ocean depths, a teardrop roughly the size of his hand. **This should be an** _ **easy**_ **mystery fer ya ta solve.**

"Hattori, mermaids _aren't real_." Conan hissed, narrowing his eyes, even as they darted back towards the innkeeper. Even now, she was seated in her wheelchair, blanket draped over her legs. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen her _without_ some kind of blanket thrown over them since he had gotten here, even though it never really got that cold- surely that couldn't mean...? No, no. It couldn't be, right? After all, it wasn't that uncommon of a sight with wheelchair bound people. Had Heiji not planted the idea in his head, he probably would have never thought twice about it. "We proved that much back on that _so-called_ Mermaid Island, didn't we? Surely you're not going to try and convince me that..."

 **Look who yer talkin' ta here, Kudo.** Heiji noted, quirking his brow. He would have thought that after dealing with something like him, he would have been a little more willing to accept the next real supernatural thing that crossed his path, but it appeared that his skepticism was more firmly rooted than he had thought. Well, not that he didn't expect that much. **Ya wanna try an' say that** _ **I'm**_ **not real either, next? Ya didn't think things like me existed two months ago either, an' now look where we're at.**

"Ah." For a moment, Conan's breath caught in his throat, quickly realizing the implications of his own words- before he took note of what he _knew_ was a teasing glimmer in Heiji's eyes, and merely grumbled. As his friend's stern expression fell away to give way to his usual broad grin, Conan merely heaved a long sigh. "Fine. I'll admit that's a fair point."

"So she's really a...?" Conan asked, resisting the urge to groan as Heiji nodded his head. "And mermaids are really...?" That earned him another nod, and this time, he really _did_ groan. Well, if that was the case, it would have made sense why she would have called someone like Heiji all the way out here- if word of his... _transformation_ had spread through certain channels, it made perfect sense.

 **Suck it up, Kudo. It's not that bad, really.** Heiji wrote, flashing him another quick grin, before reached over, lightly ruffling his hair, ignoring the grumbles that it earned him. **It's just that the worlds a little wider than the both of us thought before. No big deal.**

"Well maybe not for _you_." Conan almost hissed, before he decided to give it up. Grinding in his heels would get him nowhere, and might even possibly strain their friendship as it was now. Transforming foxes and mermaids- okay, he could work with that. After all, what were the odds that he would ever run into another mermaid in his life? Pretty low, he thought- and so far, Heiji was the _only_ transforming fox that he knew. And with any luck, he'd be returning to being a normal human at some point.

He'd said it before, and he'd say it again- it couldn't happen soon enough.

 **Aw, c'mon, don't be that way.** Still, sensing that this was something of a sensitive topic for his friend- he guessed that having your belief system soundly destroyed was hard to deal with, he decided to change the topic. **Well, anyways, that's the reason that she doesn't want it ta leave her hands, even fer a little bit. It's a memento that her grandmother left behind, quite literally, at that.**

Forcing out a long sigh, Conan just decided it would be for the best if he just accepted it in this instance. Whatever the true identity of the innkeeper was, it wasn't as if it was going to have any real effect on the heist itself. He doubted Kid had targeted the item knowing that it's owner was anything other than human. For the most part, this would probably go as any other case would.

"Well, at the very least, I can understand why she wouldn't want to part with it then." Conan said finally, casting a glance back towards the innkeeper, his lips twisting into a frown as he watched her own gaze fall back on the sapphire in question, an expression that he knew to be of worry on her face. "Even if only for a little while. She must have been close to her grandmother."

 **Apparently.** Heiji nodded. **I talked ta her a little bit about it last night, but well, that's not exactly my story ta tell, though I'm sure ya could ask her about it if ya wanted ta know. I guess ya could say that she wasn't as lucky as her granddaughter was in the romance department.**

"Ah." With a simple nod of his head, Conan couldn't help but feel that that, at least, was something that he could understand. It would appear that love troubles was something that crossed the boundaries between humans and things that weren't quite as such. "Well, like I said before, this heist is mostly yours to deal with, Hattori. But I will warn you to not let your guard down around Kid. You might be able to do things that you weren't able to previously, but that guy's nothing to sneeze at either. I wouldn't be having this much trouble with him if he were."

 **I know at least that much.** This was a guy who _tazed children_ , after all- even if that _child_ was in reality actually a high school student. That was something that Kid was very unlikely to actually know, however clever he might be. Tucking his notepad back away, Heiji spared another glance down towards his watch. It was time to start devoting his full attention towards what was about to happen- and he could tell that from the way Conan tensed down by his side, that he realized that much as well.

Whatever Kaito Kid had in store for him, he was ready to face it head on- as both a detective, and a fellow trickster.

* * *

"Kaito? Is something wrong?" Peering over towards her childhood friend with a slight frown, Aoko knitted her hands together behind her back. "You've been acting a bit distracted ever since you came back from the bathroom."

"Ah, it's nothing, it's nothing." Quick to reassure Aoko, Kaito flashed her a grin. "It's just almost time, isn't it? This is my first time actually _being_ at a Kid heist, so I can't help but look forward to what kind of tricks that guy is going to pull this time around."

Okay, that was a total lie- but well, Aoko didn't need to know that he had actually been present for every single recent Kid heist.

"Aoko thought you weren't his fan?" Aoko asked, a slight frown crossing her face at his words. It was her first time being at a heist as well- usually her father tried to keep her away from them during the time the actual heist occurred. Although she would sometimes drop by the sites of heists, it was usually long before they took place, to deliver something her father had forgotten. He had originally wanted to keep her away from this one as well- but she wasn't going to pass up a chance to give that sneak thief a piece of her mind, and this might very well be the closest chance she would ever get to doing just that.

She hadn't forgotten how he had caused Kaito trouble that one time. She _still_ hadn't quite forgiven her father for suspecting the one they had both known since he was a child so easily. The fact that vague doubts had formed in her own mind as well, of course, was entirely irrelevant.

Besides, Kaito's magic was _way more_ impressive than that of any sneak thief- not that she would ever admit that much out loud. The _last_ thing he needed was an ego boost, and she knew that she'd never hear the end of his gloating if she ever told him that much.

"I just don't like people saying his magic is better than my old man's." Kaito grumbled, folding his arms in front of his chest, concealing his hands from view. It was about time to get started- all the preparations were still in place, or at least they were the last time he had checked on them. He'd taken a great amount of care to conceal them from even the observant detectives' sight. He'd opted to keep his tricks both minimal and classic tonight- the location itself didn't much lend itself to anything big or flashy, and coming up with something like that all the way out here on such short notice would only bite him in the ass. "Or _mine_ , for that matter. But at the very least, I can appreciate the talents of a fellow magician, even if I don't agree with what he uses his magic to do."

"Well, that's true enough." Aoko admitted. Turning her attention towards the clock, she felt her anticipation rise with each movement of the second hand. She knew that everyone else in the room, as well as those outside of it, were preparing themselves for what was to come as well- especially her father and the high school detective that the innkeeper had hired. That young boy by his side as well, she couldn't help but note, briefly wishing that she had a bit more time to speak with the one known as the Kid Killer. Perhaps she would find a bit more after the heist ended- they weren't going back home until late tomorrow, after all.

"Well, Aoko hopes that you're not just going to root for him because he's a fellow magician." Aoko told him, sparing her friend a glance. "You should root for Aoko's father instead, and Hattori-kun too! Today might very well be the day that he finally gets himself captured!"

"Well, I don't know about that." Kaito told her, giving her something of a cheeky grin, which only grew as she puffed out her cheeks, preparing a rather loud protest, something which he promptly cut short. "He's gotten out of pretty slippery situations before, that's all I'm saying. Well, although I get the feeling that Hattori-kun over there is an entirely _different_ breed of high school detective than Hakuba is, so I'm kind of looking forward to that, at the very least."

That was the complete and total truth, if not twisted into a different angle. Turning his attention back towards the clock, he watched the second hand tick by, his poker face slipping squarely into place. Taking in a breath, he felt a certain sense of calm settle over him, any pre-heist jitters that he might have had flying out the window in preparation for the actual thing. As the clock's second hand drew closer and closer to the appointed time, Kaito heard himself mentally counting down, feeling the passing of time in the rhythm of his heartbeat.

 _Three._

 _Two._

 _One!_

* * *

Smoke.

Of _course_ it was smoke.

Fighting back the urge to swear underneath his breath, that irritating burning sensation such a thing would produce not being something that he needed right now, Heiji narrowed his eyes. The smell of it filled up his nose, momentarily throwing his other senses into disarray, and it took him a moment to recollect them. The fact that the room had rather poor ventilation didn't help matters much- doubtlessly Kid already knew that much.

Still, even if the room was filled with smoke, and he wasn't able see or even really smell anything, he still knew where the pedestal that contained the Mermaid's Tear was- and his hearing wasn't something that would be affected by smoke. Catching a flash of white and the rustling sound of a cape, and a gleam of brilliant blue in that same direction, Heiji narrowed his eyes. Among the people bumbling about in the blinding smoke, including someone who was doubtlessly fumbling for a window, there was the sound of someone moving straight ahead to where they wanted to be, unfaltering.

That was probably Kid.

In that case, it was probably about time. With a fierce grin, Heiji shifted his own form, using the smoke that twisted his own senses to his own advantage. In a way, it was almost convenient for him as well that Kid had chosen this tactic- it provided him just as much cover as it did the thief. Within the smoky room, nobody would notice if a human transformed into a fox, nor would they probably notice the sound of the faint vibration of Kazuha's cellphone, from the message he shot off to her just before transforming, to let her know that it was time.

After all, it wouldn't do if Hattori Heiji suddenly vanished from the room where Kid was supposed to appear. The last thing he wanted, even more so than someone finding out his secret, was for someone to think that he had let his guard down to the point to where Kid had been able to knock him out and take his place. To that effect, an illusion was needed- it wouldn't have to last long, just long enough to fool everyone he was going to leave behind. People would question it if he were suddenly not there, but not if he dashed after Kid as soon as he vanished.

He had already tested it out, of course, to ensure that he really could do something like that- and Kazuha had agreed to help him, to cover any faults that the illusion of his human self might have. She'd grumbled at having to play act to an illusion of him, of course, but she'd gone along with it in the end. He hadn't told Kudo about it, mostly because he wanted to hear from Kazuha later just how he would react to ever so briefly seeing Hattori Heiji and Hei-chan the fox in the same place, at the same time. It was just a shame that he wouldn't be able to see as such firsthand.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Whoever was looking for one must have found a window, because the smoke was starting to gradually thin- and as it did, a white caped figure emerged from it, a rather cheeky grin on his face as he grabbed one edge of said cape, giving those gathered in the room a rather showman-like bow. In his other, the glittering blue sapphire twinkled under the bright lights of the room. "As promised, I have come to take the Mermaid's Tear!"

Like _hell_ he would.

Watching as the thief's gaze drifted over towards where he had been just moments ago, before smoke had filled the room, Heiji took a small amount of satisfaction in noting the way his eyes seemed to narrow as he noticed that he wasn't where he was supposed to be. That was the only indication he gave, however, as otherwise, he didn't even flinch, instead choosing to fold the Mermaid's Tear into the palm of his hand. Just as he raised his other, ready to snap his fingers, probably to unleash even _more_ smoke, the fierce grin on Heiji's face grew, as he all but launched himself at the thief.

It was an undignified tactic, to be sure- but honestly, Heiji had never been one to care about something like that all too much. Besides, there was something _intensely satisfying_ about sinking his teeth into the hand of the bastard who had tazed his best friend- as well as hearing the rather loud, very obvious yelp of pain that he let out, causing him to lose his grip on the Mermaid's Tear. Letting go of Kid's hand, the brown fox quickly grabbed the necklace in his mouth, all but darting up the thief himself, jumping up towards the skylight that he already knew had been loosened for his escape- or an illusion of it, at least. He had noticed it while he was looking over the room that afternoon- but since it worked out just as well for him, he had left it be.

This, of course, was where he fully intended to have a bit of _fun_ with the thief. It was also part of the plan that he hadn't informed Kudo about- on the off chance that he tried to advise him against it. Ears twitching as he made out mixed noises of confusion from the ground below, he slipped out of the skylight, faintly making out the sound of both the thief and the Inspector alike voicing their protests over this turn of events. He'd already informed the innkeeper of his plans, of course, he wouldn't have done something like this without first telling her.

Well, he wasn't going to deny that messing around with a fellow trickster wasn't also part of the reason that he was doing this. There was a part of him that had been awfully bored as of late, and it wasn't just the part of him that was a detective. It was something newer, something more recent- though it was also something that perhaps had always been there, just as a much fainter existence than it was now. He'd always had a bit of fox blood inside of him, after all- the only difference now was that it's balance with his human blood had flipped. He had been looking for a good way to satisfy it for quite awhile now- and tonight, for a change, that part of him seemed to be quite satisfied indeed.

Once outside of the inn, he could faintly make out the sound of what he was almost certain was Kaito Kid following behind him, making out the sound of booted feet dashing behind him on the rooftop. Fighting the urge to grin, knowing that he was likely to drop the necklace were he to do that, Heiji dashed forward, quickly navigating the inn's roof with ease. Now that he was out in the clear night air, his sense of smell no longer obscured by smoke, he couldn't help but note what a _familiar_ scent the one chasing him had.

No wonder he hadn't picked up any strange scents in the museum room. As it turned out, he had known Kid's scent all along- but whether that meant that the person whose scent he recognized was Kid themself, or if he had merely been disguised as him from the very start, he couldn't exactly say. He supposed it didn't matter all that much- it wasn't like he could use his scent as evidence, and he doubted that Kid would let his guard down to those around him that easily.

Still, if the childhood friend of the daughter of the police Inspector who had made it his personal mission to catch him really _was_ in fact, Kaito Kid, he couldn't deny how _interesting_ something like that would be. And even though he hadn't miss the odd looks that Kaito had been casting his way since last night, with this, he could effectively silence any suspicions that he might have about himself- which _also_ meant he could act more freely.

Considering what the next step of this was, he almost couldn't wait.

* * *

To be quite honest, Kaito didn't know what had taken him more by surprise- the fact that his prize had been taken away from him by a fox, or by the fact that he had just witnessed both Hattori Heiji and Hei-chan in the same place, at the same time, something he was starting to think was impossible. It had only been for a second, out of the corner of his eye- but as the smoke cleared, and the fox sunk his teeth into his hand, he had _definitely_ made out the face of none other than the high school detective of the west in the crowd. He wasn't in the same place he had been when the room had filled with smoke- but there was no doubt that it was him, even from just the fleeting glance he had gotten.

Okay, so maybe his wild theory had been a little _too_ wild after all. That was his _first_ instinct, at the very least.

His second instinct was to remember the _other_ thing that the foxes from legend were well known for- _illusions_. He was pretty sure the fox that he was chasing was real- the stinging sensation that it's bite had left behind was proof enough of that- which, incidentally, was going to be _a pain in the ass_ to cover up. As for the Hattori Heiji that he had left behind him? That he couldn't be too sure about. He had, after all, only cast a rather fleeting look towards him.

Still, to think that it would go so far as to actually _bite_ him- maybe it _was_ just a well trained animal after all. Or perhaps Heiji might be more animal than human- an idea which he could almost _hear_ Hakuba readily agreeing with. Well, whatever it was, there was no way he was going to allow it to make off with tonight's prize. He _still_ hadn't checked it for Pandora yet, and there was no way he could let it escape him.

Besides, there was no way he could allow Kaito Kid's reputation to be sullied this way!

His prize stolen from him by a _fox_. Another thief was one thing, but a fox? Even if there was a chance that said fox might actually somehow be a high school detective, that didn't make it any less embarrassing for him. Aoko was _never_ going to let him live that down. Granted, she wouldn't _know_ that she was rubbing salt into his wound, but that really wouldn't make things any better.

Ever so briefly, he found himself wondering if his father ever had to deal with things like this. No way was he going to ask his mom about it, though. The less she heard about this, the better.

Damn fox was slippery though, he grumbled to himself, watching as it effortlessly leapt down from the rooftop, darting off down the path that he knew lead towards the cliff. He'd stand out way too much if he kept chasing it in this outfit- indeed, he'd already attracted the attention of the police officers that had surrounded the inn. He had only planned on using the skylight as a _fake_ exit- it had been more difficult than he would have liked to admit, squeezing his body through that.

Leaping down from the roof, he cast down another smoke bomb, making a quick change inside of it. With a bit of voice work, he threw the police that had surrounded the area where he had been into a bit of disarray- nobody really noticed when one of their number slipped away to chase after the fox, who he could swear was almost _waiting_ for him to pick the chase back up.

In other circumstances, he and Hattori Heiji might be friends. Under the _current_ circumstances, he could kind of understand why Hakuba couldn't stand the guy.

Damn thing was having _fun_ with this, he knew it in his bones, knew it in the glimmer of his eyes. It was the same glimmer, he realized, that Heiji's had possessed earlier- and this more than anything was leading him further down the path of believing that they were one and the same, somehow. Swearing underneath his breath, he darted after the brown fox once more. As it seemed to leave his line of sight, Kaito muttered another swear, trying to find where it might have raced off to.

 _Ya lookin' fer this, officer?_

The voice that seemed to come from no direction in particular, as if it had floated through his head, caused him to stop in his tracks. Searching around for the source of it, he also tried to place it at the same time. It was a heavily Osakan accented voice, one that he hadn't heard before- yet somehow, he already got the feeling that he knew who it belonged to. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a faint trace of smoke, and turned his attention in that direction, schooling his expression into one of neutrality. He wasn't going to give this trickster the benefit of seeing him react- that was something that he had complete control over.

Perched in a nearby tree, a broad grin on his face, was none other than the high school detective that he had sworn he had left behind in the inn. Twined about one of his hands was the necklace chain of the Mermaid's Tear, which dangled down from it, glittering in the faint moonlight that shone through the leaves of the trees, not nearly enough to tell if it gleamed red inside. The only thing that seemed to light up in the darkness of the night were Heiji's eyes- their own blue color almost seeming illuminated underneath the faint moonlight.

For a moment, in the back of his mind, Kaito couldn't help but wonder if he was about to be spirited away. Not like he'd _let_ something like that happen.

"I am, in fact." Kaito said slowly, quickly masking his real voice with something more suited for the situation. He didn't doubt that Heiji had already seen through his disguise- but what fun was that, really? "I see you managed to get it back from that fox. If you hand it over to me, I can bring it back to the Inspector for you, if you want to keep chasing after Kid."

His broad grin unfaltering, Heiji reached into his pocket, pulling out a cellphone- and for a moment, Kaito's heart leapt, wondering if he was going to call for backup. He'd _definitely_ heard his voice earlier- maybe he really could talk after all? Why pretend that he couldn't, though? Or perhaps he could, but it was still difficult for him?

Or perhaps he hadn't spoken using words at all.

 **I get the feelin' if I do that, it won't find it's way back ta Kawamura-han fer awhile.** On the light of his cellphone screen, the words written there were easy to read, even in the darkness. Carefully, he schooled his expression into one of surprise- it was better if Kaito Kid looked as if he didn't expect the Osakan detective to communicate in such a manner. **Ain't that right, Kid?**

"It's almost no fun when you detectives can see through me so easily." Heaving a long sigh, Kid gave him a rather cheeky grin of his own, tearing away his disguise to reveal his usual Kid outfit. Sparing the faintest of glances behind him, he quickly determined that there was currently no pursuit- though he could make out noises of commotion from the distant inn, carried by the wind. "Your reputation for being agile and quick-witted proceed you, _tantei-han_. I could have _sworn_ I left you back at the inn."

"Your reputation for being loud, however... cat got your tongue?" He couldn't help but quip.

 **I'm a fast runner.** Heiji helpfully informed him, his grin only seeming to grow even wider, even as he seemed to twitch at his last comment- one that he chose to ignore, from the looks of it. **Yer pretty fast yerself, Kid. It's not easy ta keep up with that fox, after all.**

"In my line of work, it pays to be quick. I'm going to assume that fox is yours- it's rather well trained, I must say." Kaito observed, not missing the faint twitch that again seemed to cross Heiji's face at his words. If he had any lingering doubts that they were one and the same, that pretty much abolished it- apparently Heiji had yet to master his own poker face. Well, given what he'd both heard and seen of him, somehow that didn't surprise him at all. "Though I'm afraid I don't see the point of luring me all the way out here."

 **I hear ya tazed a good friend of mine before.** Something of a wicked glint made it's way into Heiji's eyes, as he leapt down from the tree, landing on his feet with practiced ease. **I thought I would arrange it so I could get a chance ta get some payback fer him.**

" _Ah_." With a simple click of his tongue, Kaito's eyes narrowed, fighting the urge to take a step back. So in the end, this all boiled down to something rather personal- it wasn't hard to guess _who_ Heiji meant. He'd tazed a lot of people, but there was only one person that would have really earned this much ire from the Osakan detective. "You're rather close to the Edogawa boy, it would seem."

Still, luring out a thief just to try and presumably kick his ass- he and the Edogawa boy must have been very close indeed. He hadn't seen anyone this annoyed that he'd knocked someone out since the boy in question, back when he had knocked out and impersonated that ineffectual babysitter of his.

 **We're real good friends.** Taking a step forward, Heiji's bright smile still seemed to be plastered on his face, even if the nature of it had seemed to change. Hattori Heiji had already been firmly placed in the category of 'weird people that Edogawa Conan knows', but it would seem he was _also_ vying for a spot in the 'scary people that Edogawa Conan knows category'. There was far too much overlap between those two lists. **But don't worry, Kid, I don't have much of an interest in catchin' ya, as long as ya don't make off with what ya came here fer. It's probably not whatever yer lookin' fer anyways.**

"You don't even know what it is that I'm looking for, _tantei-han_." Kaito noted, not letting his poker face falter. He still had some smoke bombs left- in a pinch, he could use them to get away. He probably had good ears, but if he took out his sense of smell and his sense of sight, he'd get an edge on him. Escape was one thing though, taking his prize back from him was another matter. "What makes you so sure?"

 **Detective's intuition, an' also** _ **extremely literal**_ **namin' sense.**

"... _Ah_." Unable to help himself, Kaito did let his poker face slip at that moment, his brows arching. Well, if he was dealing with some kind of transforming fox here, perhaps the implication that mermaids existed wasn't so out there- _he_ was the one looking for a stone that granted immortality, after all. Who was he to criticize the origins of other people's magic rocks? "In that case, odds are, you're _probably_ right."

 **Course I'm right.** His grin growing a bit more cheeky before he tucked his cellphone back away, Heiji took another step forward, before tilting his head, glancing off towards the distance, slightly narrowing his eyes. He didn't need to say anything for Kaito to know that he'd heard something- even if he couldn't make it out himself. Good ears indeed.

There was something written in those strange eyes that told him that they weren't alone.

"I'm going to assume that whoever is coming, they're probably not friends of yours." Kaito noted, sharply narrowing his own eyes, turning in the same direction as Heiji. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could vaguely make out Heiji nodding his head, something which caused him to grit his teeth. "Somehow I don't think these guys are going to be convinced so easily on giving up their target as I am, _tantei-han_. Truce?"

Heiji's rather curt nod of his head was all that Kaito needed.


	17. The Cards at Hand

**AN** : I've been working on and off on this chapter for the past three days, and while I'm far from unhappy with it, I still do kind of feel that I could have done more with it- but for what it's worth, chapter seventeen is finally finished! There will be a small bit of this arc wrapped up in the next chapter, and then we'll move onto the last arc of the story. So hopefully people are looking forward to that?

Well, until next time, I suppose.

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter Seventeen**

 **The Cards At Hand**

* * *

"I've gotta say, that Nakamori-san sure is furious about this turn of events."

"Which one?" Ran couldn't help but ask, sparing a glance over towards Sonoko. "They _both_ look pretty angry to me. Not that I can exactly _blame_ either of them, considering, well..."

"That's right, that's right." With a quick nod of her head, Kazuha had to fight back the sigh of relief that nobody had seen through the trick that she had been involved with herself. In the frenzy that followed Kid's sudden appearance and escape, pursuing the most unexpected of interferences, it had been easy to direct the illusion of her childhood friend as if it were running out the door, going to chase after Kid. "I would be angry too, if somethin' like that happened!"

She was really just grateful that nobody had noticed anything- although judging from the expression that she had briefly made out on Conan's face, before he darted out the door himself, she got the feeling that Heiji hadn't told the kid anything. There was no doubt that he hadn't done so on purpose, and for reasons that were very easy to understand- he was like that, after all. Honestly, pranking a child like that wasn't nice!

"Still, I have to say," Planting her hands on her hips, Sonoko turned her head towards the door, squinting a little. Normally, she too, would love to chase after Kid herself, but with the entrance the mess that it was, with both police officers, and the Nakamori father and daughter combo alike, trying to press through it, it was better to not even try. "...that Hattori-kun sure can run fast. I could have sworn he was here just a second ago. It's almost like he disappeared into thin air."

"Well, you could say the same thing about Conan-kun!" Kazuha was very quick to say, redirecting the topic away from Heiji, least they pick up on anything strange. She felt bad about lying to them like this, but she supposed when it came down to it, it really wasn't her secret to tell. "Though I guess bein' that small helps him slip by people. Are you sure you don't need to go after him, Ran-chan?"

"I'd love to, but I'm not sure I could even get out the door right now." Ran observed, before her gaze flickered towards the skylight. "And I'm pretty sure I don't want to try fitting through there. Kid might have been able to get through, but... well, I'd rather not chance getting stuck."

"Still, it is okay, Kazuha-chan?" Quickly changing the topic herself, to something vaguely less embarrassing, Ran cast a worried look towards her friend. "About Hei-chan, I mean. What if Kid hurts him?'

"Kid-sama wouldn't do something as crass as that!" Quickly jumping in to defend him, in spite of the somewhat indignant display she had witnessed just moments ago, Sonoko puffed out his cheeks. "Even if it's an animal that just bit, he's not that cruel!"

"He _tazed_ Conan-kun." Kazuha told her flatly, a somewhat blank look crossing her face. "An' knocked out Ran-chan once before. But Hei-chan will be fine, trust me on that. The only thing I'm upset about is that it looks like I won't get a chance ta give that guy a piece of his mind for what he did to ya that one time, Ran-chan."

That much, she would have to leave to Heiji this time around, she guessed. Still, she couldn't say that she hadn't enjoyed the sight of that thief having his hand chomped on, even if she could barely make it out because of the smoke. He reaped what he sowed, as far as she was concerned.

"Well... you do have something of a point there." Sonoko admitted after a moment, her eyes darting away from Kazuha's. "Still, I don't think he'll hurt your pet, Kazuha-chan. Otherwise, you never would have let that Hattori-kun use him for this plan, right? Still, I have to say, it's really well trained, that fox of yours."

"Not well trained _enough_." Kazuha couldn't help but mutter, placing her hands on her hips. When he got back here, she was going to give Heiji a piece of her mind about pulling tricks like that on poor little Conan. Honestly, sometimes it was hard to tell _which_ one of them was the child in that relationship.

"Still, I wonder where he is." Ran couldn't help but wonder, glancing around the small museum room. "The real Kuroba-kun, that is."

"Probably tied up in the bathroom, or in some closet somewhere." Sonoko noted with a shrug, turning her attention back towards the door, watching as the Nakamori father and daughter combo finally made their way through it. "Well, given that he had the nerve to disguise himself as someone that they both know, no wonder the two of them are annoyed." Especially that Aoko girl. She looked like she was about ready to tear Kid-sama's head off."

"If she manages to catch him, she just might do it." Kazuha couldn't help but note, a slight frown crossing her face. That was odd though- she knew that Heiji's sense of smell was a lot better than a normal human's now. It was a bit strange that he hadn't noticed that Kaito's scent had changed.

Unless...

No, no, there was no way that could be. After all, she was pretty sure that Kaitou Kid was supposed to be more than twice her age. No matter how good he was at disguises, he couldn't _possibly_ be... well, if that was the case, it seemed as if she might have to fulfill _that_ end of her bargain after all.

She had _kind of_ been hoping that she wouldn't have to, but a promise was a promise, and she was going to get something out of the deal herself. She wasn't the sort of person who went back on her word, no matter what said word involved.

Well, it wasn't as if figuring out Kid's identity was her job anyways. _Her_ job was to remain here, and to cover for Heiji if he needed her help. Reaching into her pocket, she carefully clutched the charm that he had given her, wondering if he would really be alright without it- he had told her that he needed something to cast the illusion on to make it work, and even though she had been against it at first, he had been pretty stubborn that things would be alright.

Still, she couldn't help but worry. She had heard him speaking with the Inspector earlier- something about some suspicious figures that had been spotted watching the inn. If they were just Kid and his accomplice, that would be fine, but if not...

He had better not do anything to make her regret taking this from him. He would never hear the end of it if he did.

"Ah, speaking of people who have disappeared, though." Glancing around the room once more, Ran's lips pursed together, brows furrowing in thought. "Where did the innkeeper go?"

* * *

Not here.

Even if he couldn't make out the unspoken words that Heiji was mumbling to himself, the stars that twinkled overhead not nearly bright enough to be able to read his lips, he could, at the very least, understand the gist of it.

Not here. This wasn't a good location.

There was no part of this to which Kaito didn't agree- although it was just the right place for a showdown between a detective and a phantom thief, it was still too close to the inn for a confrontation between either of those things, and whatever it was that the strange fox-eyed detective had picked up on, that had gotten him so disturbed. Given what he had overheard the Inspector telling Heiji about, and given the strange figures that he had spotted on the cliff, as well as the damaged lock, it wasn't that hard for Kaito to guess.

He wasn't interested in getting anyone involved in his mess, least of all Aoko, who was no doubt out for Kaitou Kid's blood right now. He couldn't say that he blamed her- after all, from her perspective, it seemed as if the sneak thief that she so despised had knocked out her childhood friend, and then had the nerve to pose as him on top of that. If only she knew the truth, she would-

No, scratch that, she would probably only be even _angrier_ with him, in that case. That was, once again, not something that he could blame her for.

But that was neither here nor there at the moment- what mattered is that those guys were, without a doubt, here, and were looking for him at this very moment. Unless they could confirm that the Mermaid's Tear wasn't what they were looking for, there was a chance that they would come back for it- and that wasn't something that he could have either. And judging from the fact that he had been hired to protect to jewel itself, rather than to capture him, Kaito had an inkling that this was something that Heiji would agree with him on.

Sure, he might be known to use some _slightly_ extreme methods at times- though he certainly wouldn't have tazed any child that _wasn't_ Edogawa Conan, but it wasn't as if he were heartless. So for the time being, before they could manage to find him, he would have to draw them away further from the inn- but before that, he would have to find a way to snatch the Mermaid's Tear from the one who currently possessed it.

Because frankly, whether he was human or not, he didn't want to involve Hattori Heiji with those guys either. He didn't want to risk painting a target on anyone's back- if he saw their faces, there was a chance that they might try and come after him again.

"Give me the jewel." Kaito finally spoke up again, stretching his hand out towards Heiji. When he asked for a truce, he of course meant only that- it wasn't like he wasn't going to return it right after, given that it didn't appear to be what he was looking for after all. "If what you're hearing is who I think it is, it's me they're after. There's no need for you to get involved any further, _tantei-han_."

Shooting Kid a rather disgruntled look, Heiji took half a step back, making sure to keep the Mermaid's Tear just out of his reach. Sure, that would probably make things easier, but it was his job to keep it out of his hands, and he was going to see it through to the end. Shaking his head, he jerked his head in what he could only assume the direction in which what he had picked up on was coming from, he held up two fingers.

Two men, then. He was willing to bet good money on the fact that one of them was Snake. That was fine- this wasn't his first dance with those creeps, and it wouldn't be his last. They were no doubt carrying some rather unpleasant things with them, but Kaitou Kid wasn't going to back down just because of such a small thing like that.

Now if only the so-called high school detective of the west wasn't being so _stubborn_. Now that _was_ a personality trait that he remembered from Hakuba's rather vivid description of him- and something that he seemed to hold in common with the Edogawa boy.

What a strange friendship the two of them seemed to have, when he spared himself the briefest of moments to dwell on it. He always suspected _tantei-kun_ to be the rather skeptical type, dismissing any kind of supernatural occurrences as nothing more than hogwash, and yet, here he was, having befriended what very much seemed to be one. Perhaps he didn't have _nearly_ as thorough of an understanding of the child as he thought he had.

"Stubbornness isn't an attractive trait, _tantei-han_." Kaito couldn't help but quip. The fact that he still couldn't hear the men's footsteps- which was what he was guessing that Heiji was picking up on, if it weren't their scents, they probably still had some time to spare. "I must confess that to my great regret, I have cause to know these men quite well, and I am more than sure that I can give them the slip yet again. Since it's _not_ what I'm looking for, as you have so clearly told me, it's not as if I won't give it back."

It wasn't as if he hadn't been entirely expecting that dry, skeptical look his words earned him. Were their situations reversed, he would probably be doing just the same. Watching as Heiji moved to open his mouth, before quickly shutting it, in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but wonder if he should perhaps consider picking up sign language in the future. It must be rather annoying, not being able to properly communicate with people like this.

In lieu of words, Heiji once more jerked his head in another direction. Following it, Kaito's lips pursed together in a tight frown, though he quickly managed to figure out what the mute detective was attempting to allude to. The cliff. It was true that it would make a rather good getaway platform for him- it was high enough that he could use his hang glider without too many issues, and as such, he would be able to shake Snake, and whatever henchman he had brought with him this time off of his tail.

"Oh? Are you sure you don't need to capture me, _tantei-han_? It sounds an awful lot like you're thinking about letting me go." Kaito couldn't help but observe, quirking his brows. The glower his words earned him only made his amused smile grow all the more, a twinkle of mischief dancing in his eyes. _Tantei-kun_ probably would not be very happy to hear about this turn of events, as much as there were a few times that he had let him go in the past.

Ah, now _there_ were some words that he could make out very well on his lips, the shape of them formed without any voice to go behind them. It would seem that even if he couldn't use his voice anymore, old habits died hard. While he certainly didn't appreciate being called an idiot, nor being told to shut up, he did have to admit that he was rather enjoying Hattori Heiji's particular brand of high school detective- he was a pretty interesting guy, even _without_ touching on his true nature.

In the back of his mind, Kaito couldn't help but wonder what _Hakuba_ would think about the fact that one of his fellow high school detectives wasn't even human. Not that he would ever believe it, of course- that guy was such a staunch skeptic, that he was pretty sure Akako could use magic right in front of him, and he would brush it off with some kind of logical explanation for the illogical thing he had just borne witness to.

"Well how kind of you, _tantei-han_. I think my opinion of you might be improving somewhat." Kaito couldn't help but remark, before it was now his turn to shift his gaze. Narrowing his eyes, just faintly in the distance, he could make out the sound of footsteps- ones that didn't sound like they belonged to the police, who from he sound of it, were still searching for where he might have run off to.

Hearing that very same thing, Heiji's own eyes narrowed. Without much warning, he glanced between the direction they were coming from, and the cliff- and then quickly made off for the latter. He was rather quick on his feet, but in this form, Kaito was also more than able to keep up with him. And judging from the slight twinkle he made out in his eyes, it would seem that he had an idea of his own.

He supposed he would just have to trust it. It was kind of fun, in a strange way, seeing what this one was up to- it was really a shame that the two of them were on opposite sides. If it weren't for that, the two of them probably could have been good friends. Perhaps there was still some hope of that yet, for while he was confident that his little trick back in the museum room would pull any of the lingering suspicion from him that Aoko and her father probably still had from that one time, it probably hadn't fooled Heiji at all.

Rather, it might have actually confirmed his identity. But in that case, Kaito held a card of his own against the high school detective- from the sound of it, it didn't seem as if he wanted his true nature to get out. He would be more than happy to comply, should he decide to keep his own mouth shut about certain things.

The real trick was if he could manage to fool _Conan_ , really. He couldn't imagine that the pint sized detective would be _half_ as generous as his good friend. He might have done a favor for him in the past, but if he got the chance, that kid would probably end up turning him in within a heartbeat- unless he could manage to convince him to hear him out, first.

"Oh, sounds like they spotted us." Kaito remarked, making out the sound of the voices behind them. Probably more himself than Heiji- the white suit did make him rather easy to pick out against the night sky. He was almost regretting getting rid of the officer disguise that he had prepared. It's darker colors would have helped him blend into the night more easily. That had been his original escape plan, after fooling them with the fake escape route- but thanks to a certain somebody, that hadn't ended up happening.

Okay, so he was harboring a _little bit_ of a grudge for the whole biting thing. He couldn't deny that it had been very effective though- he'd never been all that found of pain. He supposed that from Heiji's viewpoint, it had been payback for tazing his good friend, and, for perhaps, that one earlier collar quip while he was at it. He'd been wondering when that would have come back to bite him in the ass, though he hadn't imagined it would be so _literal_.

At least the _ass_ part of that hadn't been literal. But perhaps Heiji was human enough yet to not have something so undignified pop into his head on it's own. Still, he should probably never bring it up with him, because he couldn't shake the vague feeling that there was a chance that he might actually _consider_ it.

And lord knows, he didn't want to go through _that_.

While he still didn't have any solid proof of it, he had more than accepted the idea that Hattori Heiji and that brown fox, Hei-chan were indeed, one and the same. The Heiji that he had briefly spotted back at the scene of the heist, after Hei-chan had scampered away with his prize, had probably been some kind of trick. Whether it was meant to fool his eyes, or the eyes of those around him, he supposed it didn't matter too much- it was one step too late, really.

The more he thought on it, the more he suspected that this perhaps was not Heiji's natural state of being. It was the words that he had overheard him exchanging with Conan that did it- the young boy lamenting over the fact that he wished his friend would go back to normal already. Still, for someone existing in an abnormal state, the Osakan detective seemed to take to it all rather naturally- perhaps there was a story there too.

It seemed that it was his fate to draw interesting people to him. As long as they weren't trying to kill him, like Akako was wont to do at times, he was more than fine with that though. What was life without a little bit of spice?

It was the reaction of the aforementioned detective that warned him of the bullet, the way his hair, for a moment, all but seemed to stand on end. Coming to a halt, Heiji pivoted on his heel, so quickly that Kaito nearly missed his step- thankfully, he wasn't so clumsy as to do something like that for real. Still, it served as a sufficient warning, as Kaito too, turned on his own heel, his white cape fluttering in the night breeze, stronger up here where they had found themselves. Not quite up towards the top of the cliff, where he ideally wanted to be, but with some quick thinking, it would do.

"Well, well," as he thought, one of the two men who had been pursuing them was none other than Snake- his mug so familiar to him that it was easy to make out even in the darkness. The fact that the moonlight was brighter where they were now certainly helped matters considerably. "...I thought that you might try and come this way to make your escape, and it would appear that I was right. You can't use that hang glider of yours from all the way down there, can you?"

"I do so hate to disappoint you," With an easy grin, Kaito slipped back into that confident tone of voice- around these guys, he would never show an ounce of weakness. "...but I'm afraid your _deduction_ is a bit flawed there. Were it not for my original escape plan going awry, you would have been waiting for me to come this way all night."

He would have to be careful not to give too much away- the last thing he wanted was more information leaking out about what went on behind the scenes at Kid heists. Not until he finally managed to find Pandora, and finally managed to fulfill his goal of destroying it, that was.

Well, perhaps if such strange things as witches and transforming foxes existed in this world, then an immortality granting gem wasn't really so far-fetched. It would be rather nice, having some kind of assurances that this entire thing wasn't just some kind of wild goose chase. Should it turn out to be one, though, at the very least, he imagined that the men chasing him would give up eventually- but it wasn't as if he would let them off the hook, even should they do that.

There was something that he needed to get payback from them for, after all- several years overdue.

"Regardless, we've come to take what you've stolen tonight, Kaitou Kid." Narrowing his eyes, Snake took a step forward, the moonlight causing the cold steel of his gun's muzzle to gleam. "Now, hand it over, unless you'd like to find yourself plummeting into the sea."

"Well I'm afraid I can't really help you with that." With a shrug of his shoulders, Kaito merely shook his head. Spreading out his hands to indicate that they were indeed, empty, he merely cast them an amused smirk. "As I don't actually have it at the moment myself. If you really want it, the one that you should be speaking to isn't me, but rather, that talented _tantei-han_. Well, provided you can catch him, that is. For an old man like yourself, catching up to someone with youth on their side might be rather tricky!"

"Detective...?" With a slight frown, Snake cast his eyes behind Kaito, his gaze quickly sharpening as he finally noticed that he wasn't alone. With the thief's flashy white suit catching most of his attention, he had barely noticed the dark skinned youth behind him, who upon hearing himself mentioned, turned his head slightly back towards them, flashing a rather mischievous smirk of his own.

He had heard something about a high school detective being hired to help protect the jewel this time, but he didn't think that he would run into him here. Well, it wasn't as if it quite mattered anyways- there were limits to what one unarmed brat could do. Sparing a half glance over towards his associate, he kept his gun fixed on Kid- there was no sense in letting himself get distracted from the main target, after all. With him out of the way, there would be no one left to stand in the way of their search.

"Oi, get the brat!" Snake ordered, before taking a step forward, very carefully watching Kid for any sign of any kind of trick. Experience told him that he was full of them, but he had no intention of allowing him to get the better of him this time. "Hmph. For a supposed detective, he must not be very smart. Once he gets up there, there's nowhere to go but down. And the waves are awfully rough tonight."

"Well, well, I wouldn't get so full of yourself just yet." Kaito simply said, shaking his head. That certainly would have been true- were Hattori Heiji _human_ , which he was most likely not. And the mention of the waves... if his earlier statement about the Mermaid's Tear being quite the literal thing were true, accompanied by the fact that it was a memento of the innkeeper's grandmother... well, this really _was_ a rather interesting night, wasn't it? "The night is still young yet, and perhaps is filled with all kinds of surprises. Why don't you put down that dangerous toy of yours so we can discuss the matter like gentlemen?"

"Although," with an easy smirk, and a twinkle in his eyes, Kaito took another slight step back, mentally gauging his current location. This wasn't perfect, but he'd made do with worse before. Ever so faintly, the sound of it carried on the wind, he could make out the voices of the police who had been searching the area. In such an exposed place, it wasn't that hard to pick out the white of his suit- it would only be a matter of time before the police caught up. "I suppose one of us doesn't _quite_ qualify to be referred to as such."

"Oi, wait a second brat, don't do that-!"

Taking the cry that ripped from the lips of Snake's associate as his cue, a devilish smirk crossed Kaito's face. "Well then, given that the jewel this time wasn't what I was searching for, I'm afraid I will have to bid you _adieu_." With a quick flick of his wrists, he produced a smoke bomb, filling up the area around him with it. It would quickly blow away with the wind, but it would give him just enough time to do what he needed to do.

Although rather than soaring off to parts unknown, this phantom thief would very quickly be making his way back to the inn, where he could return to being Kuroba Kaito. A rather disgruntled Kuroba Kaito, tied up and locked away in a storage closet- and hopefully one that nobody would suspect had tied _himself_ up.

It would be for the best, of course, if _tantei-kun_ weren't the one to find him first.

* * *

"At the very least, tell me yer not actually an old man disguisin' himself as his own son. I've already heard tell of _one_ of those types, an' that's more than enough fer me."

Perhaps his senses weren't as keenly tuned as an animal's, but his time as Kaitou Kid had made him very prone to noticing details, however slight. All the more so if he was watching someone with the intent to disguise as them in mind. It was the walk that struck him first as being off, the manner in which they had held themselves, and most notably, in the way that they spoke.

Toyama Kazuha, naturally, did _not_ refer to herself using _ore_.

"I'm afraid that I don't quite know what you mean, _Toyama-san_. Though it certainly sounds as if you know some _rather interesting_ people." Turning slightly on his heel to face them, a smile fell into place on Kaito's lips. "More importantly, shouldn't you be in bed? It's rather late, after all."

"What's even the point of playin' dumb at this point?" Quirking a brow, 'Kazuha' placed their hands on their hips, giving him an amused smirk that he had already come to know well on another's face. "Ya know I know, an' I know ya know. The two of us might as well be honest with each other, Kuroba."

"Well, even if that _was_ the case, I'm not certain that the resident _body snatcher_ would have any right to criticize me." Kaito couldn't help but quip, shrugging his shoulders. "You've gotten _considerably_ cuter since I last saw you two hours ago, Hattori-kun."

"Shut up. It's not like I didn't ask fer permission first. An' I'll have ya know that I've _always_ been cute." Shooting him a rather scathing look, 'Kazuha' merely shrugged their shoulders. Well, it was true that the first time had been a _very literal_ body snatching- but that had also been an accident. "What kind of guy do ya take me fer?"

"Right now, not at all." Kaito couldn't help but note. He hadn't been one hundred percent sure until he had responded to the name, but it would appear that his hunch was right on the mark. "If you're trying to fast track yourself to the top of the 'weird people Edogawa Conan knows' list, I must say, you're doing a very good job of it."

"Well, I always _do_ like bein' number one." With a tilt of their head, Heiji couldn't help but grin, brushing off any intended thorns that came along with the remark. "It can't be helped though. Right now, this is the easiest way fer me ta carry on a conversation, since nobody around here sides from Kazuha seems to know a _damn lick_ of sign language."

"That does sound rather inconvenient." Kaito noted, more than willing to admit that much. He'd seen the detective's frustrations time and time again over the course of the past two or so days, and frankly, in that area, he actually sympathized with him considerably. "You certainly have my sympathies there. Toyama-san told me that you had been strangled."

"Well, among other things." Heaving a long sigh, Heiji took a step out into the courtyard proper, carefully slipping on the sandals that had been left out for guests. "Well, ya don't have ta worry about what ya say, though. Kazuha's asleep. She won't remember anythin' when she wakes up."

"She must really trust you, to allow you to do something like this." Kaito couldn't help but observe, curiously studying the one before him. Even in light of what he knew, this was a rather surreal experience. "Were I in your shoes, I would _never_ be able to get Aoko to agree to the same thing."

If she were ever to learn about the times when he had disguised as her... well, he wouldn't be getting off easy. Aoko learning that he was actually Kaitou Kid would probably be the _least_ of his worries then.

"Well, convincin' her wasn't easy, I'll admit." With a shrug of Kazuha's shoulders, Heiji freely admitted that much. He really hadn't thought he would be doing this again, not after the last time- but it made things so much easier. Besides, there were things that he couldn't do in either of the forms in which he could use telepathy in that he could do in Kazuha's body- and that was the core reason of why she had agreed to temporarily lend it to him, in the event that he was able to figure out Kid's identity. "I owe her an amusement park date fer this. But that's enough about the two of us. The one I want ta know about is _you_."

"At the very least, I can assure you, I am not my own father posing as me." Kaito told them. "Still, around when did you begin to suspect me, Hattori-kun? If it was before the heist, I'm going to have to reconsider some things."

"Yer in luck. It was after." Heiji told him frankly. "Yer scent didn't change even once. Since that's not somethin' a normal person would ever have cause ta notice, ya don't have ta worry. Well, ya should probably still be a little more careful, though. I shook Conan-kun off yer tail this time, but if yer not careful, ya might end up back on that kid's radar before long."

"And you'll probably have a lot of explaining to do to him in turn." Kaito couldn't help but note. "So? Why are you keeping it to yourself then, Hattori-kun? Surely if you went public with this, you would be able to gain yourself quite a bit of fame. Catching the uncatchable Kaitou Kid is quite the feat."

"Cause the way I found out is basically cheatin'." Shrugging their shoulders, Heiji turned their gaze back in the direction of the room that Conan was sharing with Ran and Sonoko. "Fer the ones who have been tryin' ta catch ya fer awhile now, I can't exactly just steal their thunder like that. Besides, I'm not that interested in thieves ta begin with. I only accepted this job in order to obtain somethin' that I need."

"I'm almost a little insulted to hear that." Placing a hand against his chest, a mock look of offense made it's way onto Kaito's face. "And here I was, challenging you seriously, _tantei-han_."

"Well, sorry about that." With a quick grin, Heiji took two steps forward, almost nose to nose with the one who was hiding plenty of secrets of his own. In the back of his mind, he couldn't help but note how curious it was to be shorter than the thief now, viewing him from a slightly different angle than he had previously. It had been harder to notice from his own vantage point, but he really _did_ have the same face shape as Kudo.

"But just so ya know, Kuroba," Reaching out to grab the now taller boy by the collar of his yukata, Heiji glowered at him with all the ferocity that Kazuha's face could muster- which from experience, he knew was _quite_ a bit. More than enough to make that poker face bastard flinch, he was glad to note. "...If ya ever think about doin' anythin' like tazin' that kid again, the one you'll be hearin' from is me. An' don't expect ta get off easy this time."

"You _bit_ me."

"Ya deserved it." With a slight shrug of their shoulders, Heiji released him, taking a step back, a rather sly smile on their borrowed face. "Fer the moment, I'll settle fer that. Unless ya'd rather I do somethin' else ta ya." As the mischievous grin on their face grew, a familiar twinkle worked it's way into Kazuha's green eyes. "What was it that ya accused me of just a little bit ago? Body snatchin'?"

"You wouldn't _dare_." He didn't need to clarify any- it was quite clear what he was trying to get at there. It was a rather stupid declaration, all told, considering the fact that he was almost entirely certain that Heiji would, in fact, dare.

"Of course I would. I'm a fox, after all, that sort of thing is in my nature." Heiji noted, merely shrugging their shoulders. "It's in my blood. I would have thought that out of all people, the person who plays tricks on such a grand scale would be able ta understand somethin' like that."

"Well, it's not like I can't understand it." Kaito told him frankly. "I might not have it running through my veins, but I've been raised with it since I was born. But I get the feeling that perhaps in your case, that isn't true. You haven't _always_ been like this, have you?"

"Nah, I'm usually taller than this- with shorter hair, too. Not ta mention I'd _usually_ be described faster as handsome rather than cute, but I'll take what compliments yer givin' ta the two of us." Placing their hands on their hips, Heiji couldn't resist playing with his words, in spite of knowing full well what he meant. "But yer right. This is a rather _recent_ development fer me, an' one that I would like ta reverse at some point in the future. Well, maybe if I manage ta do that, I might consider havin' a proper rematch with ya, Kuroba."

"It's almost cheating if you already know who I am." Kaito couldn't help but quip. "But I look forward to it, _tantei-han_. Although, I suppose given your _current_ appearance, I should be calling you _tantei-chan_ , perhaps."

"Ya've got a point there." With a simple shrug of their shoulders, Heiji let out a small laugh. "But keep what I just said in mind, Kuroba, because I'm serious. I know that kid can be somethin' of a spitfire, but if ya _ever_ try somethin' like that again, I'm goin' ta make sure ya regret it fer the rest of yer life."

"I'll be sure to keep it in mind." Kaito promised, holding up his hands, giving them a rather sly grin. "But I can make no promises. You seem rather close to him, so you should know how he is even better than I do. Though I assure you, I would never use such methods against an _ordinary_ child. I'm a thief, not a monster, _tantei-chan_."

"Well, if somethin' like that _does_ happen, ya can still look forward ta me payin' ya a visit, regardless of yer reasons. Well then, with that said, this _tantei-chan_ has ta get herself some beauty rest." With a wave of their hand, Heiji turned on their heel, letting out a slight yawn. Both he _and_ Kazuha were tired, it seemed. Considering that his night had involved _jumping off of a cliff_ , it didn't surprise him.

Still, all in all, it had been rather successful evening- and by tomorrow morning, he would have a name in hand that could finally set him on the path that he had been trying to find all along. Being forced to borrow Kazuha's body just to hold a proper conversation with someone was not his ideal- but once his voice was restored to him, he wouldn't have to worry about that sort of thing.

That, more than anything, was worth it.

"Ah, but that's right, Kuroba. There's _one more thing_ , actually." Pausing midstep, as if he had just remembered something, Heiji turned back around, closing the gap between the two of them once more. With a bright smile on his borrowed face, they reached out, carefully taking one of his hands in their own- before yanking him forward with it, slamming their knee into his gut before he had a chance to escape. Watching as he went down, the air knocked out of him for the moment, Heiji took a step back, brushing the bit of dirt that had gotten on Kazuha's yukata off of it.

"That's fer tellin' Kazuha ta buy me a collar, asshole."


	18. Speak No Evil

**AN** : The next chapter is here! With this, we wrap up from the previous arc, and enter the new one- which will also be the last arc of the fic. I hope everyone's excited, because I have some great things planned for it! Thanks to everyone for sticking with me so long, especially those of you who have taken the time out to review!

Until next time!

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter Eighteen**

 **Speak no Evil**

* * *

"As promised, here is the name and address of the spiritual healer that I know."

With a bright smile on his face that conveyed everything he would have otherwise wanted to say, Heiji took the card from Erika. Quickly committing what was written on it to memory on the off chance that he lost it somewhere, he tucked it away into his pocket.

"Isn't that great, Heiji? Now ya can finally get your voice back." As happy as she was for him, she couldn't help but allow a slightly sour note to slip into her voice. As much as she was the one who had agreed to allow Heiji to borrow her body last night, that didn't mean that she wasn't allowed to be a little bit grumpy about it. "You won't have ta rely on me anymore."

The laugh that he let out was a silent one, as one hand strayed up to the back of his neck, awkwardly rubbing it. As he thought, she really was mad at him- even though she had been the one to agree to it in the end. She was probably just frustrated that she wasn't able to learn Kaito Kid's identity herself, even though he had promised her that he had gotten a bit of revenge on the guy, for her sake too.

Speaking of which, that guy hadn't met his eyes at breakfast that morning. He really couldn't blame him- there was a detective in the same room as him who now knew who he really was. He might have promised to hold his tongue on the matter, since he had found it out in a rather unfair way, but he didn't really have any reason to believe that he was being completely honest.

Conan had, of course, hounded him about the matter- asking him if he really hadn't detected any strange changes in Kuroba Kaito's scent that evening. The glower that he had given him when he had told him that he had, in fact, when Kaito had returned from the restroom, was almost enough to make Heiji want to retract his statement. For once he was almost grateful that he couldn't use his voice, otherwise he was almost entirely certain his lie would have been exposed.

Well, not that it mattered. Kudo was Kudo, after all- he'd catch the guy eventually. Even after going to one of his heists himself, Heiji had to admit, he still wasn't really all that interested in the white clad phantom thief. If there was one thing that he was curious about, it was how easily he had accepted the existence of something like himself- but that was a more personal question, and one that probably didn't have anything to do with his moonlight identity.

'That's right, that's right!' With a bright smile plastered on his face still, Heiji quickly signed out his excitement- just in case anyone had somehow managed to miss it. 'I can't tell ya how much I'm lookin' forward ta it! It's nearly been two months now! I was startin' ta worry I might be mute fer the rest of my life!'

"And after that, it's figuring out a way ta return you ta normal, right?" Kazuha asked, lightly elbowing her childhood friend in the side. "Who knows? Maybe this spiritual healer lady can point you in the right direction?"

'Let's hope.' Heiji told her, a quick nod of his head puncturing his signing. 'I don't know if the old man will allow me ta start workin' on cases normally again even if I get my voice back. I kind of get the feelin' he's worried that I'm goin' ta let my tail slip, or somethin' like that'.

"To be fair, ya did." Kazuha noted, quirking a brow. "To _Kaitou Kid_ , of all people. Are you sure that's gonna be fine, Heiji? If word got out..."

"If word of what got out?"

Nearly jumping out of her skin at the voice of her new friend, Kazuha shot Heiji a dirty look, fully realizing that he must have known that Ran and the rest were approaching them. Honestly- she had been considering it as a possibility earlier, but it would seem that becoming a fox really had increased his mischievous streak. Of all the traits to be amplified- why did it have to be that one?

"Ah, it's nothin', it's nothin'." Kazuha said quickly, shaking her head, giving Ran a broad smile. "More importantly, are the three of ya getting ready to leave as well?"

"Yeah, we are." Ran told her, nodding her head. "We're taking a boat to one of the bigger islands, and catching a plane from there. What about you and Hattori-kun, Kazuha-chan? You're welcome to come with us."

"Our flight's not fer another three hours, so Heiji an' I were going ta take a look around the island before we left." Kazuha told her, glancing over at him. "Right, Heiji? Sorry though, that ya can't spend more time with Conan-kun."

Even as he nodded his head in agreement, Heiji couldn't help but cast an eye downwards, to where Conan was standing next to Ran. It was an action that he quickly regretted- even though he could feel his eyes on him without even actually having to look, that sure was one hell of a glare that he had there. It wasn't like he could blame him- after all, as far as he was concerned, he had lied to him about not being able to determine who Kid had disguised himself as.

He would probably forgive him by the time they went to see the spiritual healer together, but _man_ \- that glare hurt more than he had expected it to.

"I see. That's too bad then." With a slight frown, Ran nevertheless accepted what she was told, glancing back to the other two with her. "Then, Sonoko, Conan-kun, shall we go? We don't want to miss the ferry."

"Yeah, let's go, Ran-neechan!" With a quick nod of his head, Conan shot Heiji a long look, silently telling him that this wasn't over. Honestly, the nerve of the guy- even if he had said that he was mostly going to leave things to him this time, that didn't mean that he had to actively _lie_ to him.

Rather, he was actually half amazed that he even could. Maybe not being able to talk improved his ability to lie- or maybe being turned into something that was infamous for being a trickster was responsible. Either way, he was rather annoyed with him- and probably would be for awhile. He hadn't forgotten his promise to come with him to meet this so-called spiritual healer that the innkeeper was referring him to, but until then, he reserved the right to be a bit grumpy.

"Then, we'll see ya later, Conan-kun, Ran-chan, Sonoko-chan." Kazuha told each of them, giving them a quick smile. "Sorry though, that Hei-chan can't see ya off. He's still sleepin'. We didn't want ta wake him until it was actually time ta leave."

"No, that's okay." Ran said, shaking her head. "Rather, I'm just glad that Hei-chan's alright." Turning her gaze towards Heiji, it turned somewhat sharp- and for a moment, he couldn't help but worry that she had managed to see through him, until she spoke up again. "After what you put him through, Hattori-kun. He's Kazuha-chan's pet, you know. You shouldn't use him for things like that."

Opening up his mouth to protest that there it was fine, Heiji grumbled to himself a little as he quickly recalled that he couldn't do that. Reaching into his back pocket, he was halfway through pulling out his notebook when Kazuha spoke up in his stead, causing him to slide it back into his pocket.

"It's really no problem, Ran-chan! Heiji already asked me fer my permission before, so it's fine." Kazuha reassured her. It wasn't as if she couldn't blame Ran for being a little bit angry- to an outsider, it almost seemed as if they had recklessly used their new pet in an attempt to catch a thief. "Hei-chan didn't seem ta have any complaints about it either. Of course, we handsomely rewarded him when he came back!"

"Well, if that's the case, then..." Trailing off a little, still looking a bit unconvinced, Ran nevertheless smiled again. "Then, in that case, we'll be taking our leave now. It was nice to see the two of you again. The next time you're in Tokyo, be sure to come by and visit!"

"Yeah, we will!" Waving a hand, Kazuha glanced over towards Heiji, nudging him lightly in the side. As he pulled a hand out of his pocket, and waved to them just the same, a satisfied smile spread out across her face. Once they were gone, Kazuha turned back towards Heiji, her smile only growing.

"Now then, _Hei-chan~_!" Spreading out her arms in front of her, there was a twinkle of mischief in her own eyes, as she gave him a rather expectant look. "Ya promised~!"

Shooting her a long look, Heiji could only heave a long, exasperated sigh, his shoulders slumping. This was the other part of the bargain that he had struck with Kazuha- the one that he didn't dare mention out loud to Kaito last night- or to anyone else for that matter. After all, there was no way that he could ever live it down if anyone found out that he had given the okay, regardless of the circumstances, for one hour's worth of uninterrupted cuddle time with a particularly fluffy, if not rather grumpy, fox.

In retrospect, maybe it really _wasn't_ worth it.

* * *

"Are we _really_ meetin' Conan-kun here, Heiji? When I called Ran-chan the other day, she said that she didn't know anythin' about it."

'Do I look like the kind of guy who would make somethin' like that up?' Taking offense at the very accusation, Heiji cast something of a sour look her way. 'He's probably comin' with that Professor friend of his. Ya know how Neechan is- we can't exactly bring her ta a place like this, not when we don't know what ta expect.'

"But ya are bringin' Conan-kun, huh?" Kazuha couldn't help but observe, arching her brows. Letting out a long sigh, she felt her shoulders slump. "An' here I thought I might be able ta see Ran-chan again so soon. It's no fair that the only one who gets ta see their friend is you, Heiji."

'Now, now, don't be that way, Kazuha.' Casting her a broad grin, the kind that he had come to learn that she had trouble staying angry at, Heiji did his best to contain her annoyance. 'But I have ta say, they sure are late though. I thought they were supposed ta arrive on the last train, but I didn't see 'em anywhere.'

"That's why I asked if we're really meetin' him here." Kazuha noted, placing her hands on her hips. "Ya've been known ta get meetin' places wrong before, Heiji. Are ya sure ya didn't get mixed up somewhere?"

'Idiot, I wouldn't do that. I properly double checked before we left.' Grumbling a little, resisting the slight urge he felt to pull out his phone and check for a third time that this was really the right place, Heiji settled instead for checking the train announcements instead. The next one should be arriving within a few minutes. 'Besides, where else would we meet? I didn't give him the address ta the place we're headin', so there's no way that he could be there ahead of us.'

"If ya so." Kazuha noted, a hint of skepticism in her voice. "But well, if they don't show up on this next train, I'll give Conan-kun a call fer ya. Still, ya think if they got held up somewhere, they would have tried ta contact us at some point. I wonder why they didn't? I don't know about the Professor ya mentioned, but Conan-kun is better at keepin' track of meetin' places than ya are, that's ta be sure, Heiji."

At the frozen look on her childhood friend's face, Kazuha could only heave a long sigh, able to tell what it meant without him even needing to sign anything. Rubbing her forehead, she cast him a rather dry look. "Don't tell me that ya've had yer phone off all this time, Heiji?"

Judging from the way he very quickly broke eye contact with her, she could tell that she had completely hit the mark. Honestly, one would think that a famous high school detective would be a little better about remembering what he had and hadn't done- but most high school detectives were nothing like the one she had grown up with. That was something that her encounters with Kudo Shinichi, and her rather brief encounter with Hakuba Saguru, had truly driven home to her.

'Then, what about _yer_ phone?' Finally able to return her scathing look, Heiji reached into his back pocket, pulling out his own cellphone. 'He knows yer gonna be here with me, so why didn't he try an' get in touch with you when I wouldn't answer?'

Judging from the way that she went stiff at his words, Heiji knew full well what the answer was- as much as she liked to complain about him, in some ways, the two of them could be rather alike. "S-shut up, _idiot_. I just kinda assumed that you would have remembered ta turn yers back on when we got the station. Yer in the same boat, so ya don't get ta lecture me."

Merely quirking a brow, unable to directly respond with his cellphone now in hand, Heiji turned it on. It wasn't that long until he was greeted by a number of mails from the person in question- each of them growing more and more annoyed as he realized that his friend wasn't responding. Considering that the very last one was an irritated complaint that he should turn on his phone already, the only thing keeping Heiji from letting out the awkward laugh that he felt was his current inability to do so.

Which of course, was what they had come all this way out here to fix. It was to be expected perhaps- that the spiritual healer that Kawamura Erika had referred him to lived in such a sleepy little town, almost in the middle of nowhere. From the station, they would have to take a bus to get there, and then from the sound of it, they had a bit of a walk ahead of them yet to get to her house.

Thankfully, it seemed that she had a rather spacious one, and was rather used to allowing her clients to stay overnight there. If he came with a few extra people, she didn't seem to mind at all- the more the merrier she had said. It didn't appear that the old woman, who went by the name of Ikeda Kazuko, had a phone installed at her place, but Heiji had sent her a letter- to which she had rather promptly responded, telling him that she would be more than happy to see to his case.

Another month had passed since he'd returned home from Okinawa, with her name and address in hand. Another month of remaining voiceless, another month in which he was prohibited from directly taking on cases by his father. Hopefully, once his throat was fixed, that would be a thing of the past- and even if it wasn't, he wasn't going to take no for an answer anymore.

"Looks like they got on the wrong train when they changed 'em the first time, an' ended up missin' the last one while they fixed that mistake." Kazuha noted, glancing down at the mail that had been sent her way. "An' that ya were right about the Professor bein' with him. He says that they should be comin' on the next train, so that we should wait fer them."

'Well, that's a given.' Tucking away his cellphone again before he responded to her, freeing up his hands, Heiji cast a glance behind him, just faintly making out the sounds of a train approaching. 'Since it's almost here.'

"But is it really alright?" Kazuha asked, glancing over towards him. "Bringin' extra people along with ya."

'Ikeda-han said she didn't mind, so it should be fine.' Heiji noted. Besides, he kind of half wanted to see if she could do anything for Conan while he was at it- although whether or not he would accept her help if she could give it to him remained the real question. He might have begrudgingly accepted that perhaps there were in fact, some things in this world beyond his understanding, but by and large, the impression that he got from him was one of not wanting to deal with that sort of thing.

Well, it might a bit different if _that sort of thing_ could provide him with what even that little Neechan couldn't. If there was one thing that he had come to understand about Kudo, it was that he would take almost any chance he could get to return to being Kudo Shinichi, risks and all.

He couldn't blame him at all, really. In that regard, he was lucky- he'd probably chafe at it too, were he stuck in the form of a fox at all times. It didn't bother him at all as he was now, but if that was the only option that he had, he was pretty sure that he'd have quite the different attitude towards it.

Still a better alternative to being dead, though.

"Well, if she said so." Kazuha noted. "Ah, but ya should remember ta be careful, Heiji. Conan-kun knows about ya, but that Professor friend of his that he's bringin' with him probably doesn't."

'Don't worry about me. If it's just that old man, I'll be able ta fool him just fine.' Flashing her a bright grin, Heiji turned slightly on his heels, the train now coming in sight. Knowing that Kudo was probably on it, he couldn't help but feel excited.

"Well, if ya say so." Kazuha said, tucking her cellphone back away, watching as the train slowly pulled up to the station. "Do ya think he's bringin' her with him?"

'Her?' Tearing his eyes away from the train, Heiji signed in confusion. 'Neechan, ya mean?'

"No." Shaking her head, Kazuha frowned. "Ya know, Ran-chan's mentioned her before. That little girl that lives with that Professor."

'No way.' Shaking his head, Heiji quickly shot the idea down. There was no way that Kudo would bring someone like that along with him, not given where they were going- he probably had a hard enough time explaining it to the Professor. With Kazuha here with him, he needed to come along with some kind of guardian- and that old man was probably a better choice than Ran in this situation. 'That little Neechan's probably watchin' the house or somethin' right now.'

"Eh? A child that young, watchin' the house by herself!?" Her eyes going wide at the implications of his words, Kazuha quickly felt them narrow. "If that's the case, then I'm goin' ta give that Professor a few words of my own when he shows up here! A first grader shouldn't be left ta watch the house alone overnight!"

"It's alright." At the sound of a familiar voice, the Osakan pair turned on their heels. For a moment, Heiji couldn't help but wonder at the exasperated tone it held- before his gaze quickly darted behind Conan, almost instantly realizing the source of it. "Because she invited herself along with us."

Taking a step forward, the source of the problem glanced up at them, a hint of a frozen smile on her face. "I didn't feel like watching the house by myself, so I came along with them. I trust that there isn't a problem with that, Hattori-kun."

Once again, Heiji almost found himself briefly grateful that he didn't have a voice right now- otherwise he surely would have blurted out the very first thing on his mind. He might not understand all the details surrounding Haibara Ai, since Kudo had never told him- but there were two things that he had come to explicitly understand about her.

The first was the fact that there was no way that she was an actual child- she was probably in exactly the same boat as Kudo. The second, of course, was that she was the one who had created the poison that was the source of their mutual condition- and therefore, was not only probably once involved with that shady bunch that Kudo was chasing after, but that she was probably also quite the amazing _scientist_.

Science and magic- he couldn't think of a worse mix if he tried.

* * *

"So it's really true."

"What?" Casting something of a disinterested glance over towards Ai, Conan quickly took notice of the direction her gaze was fixed towards. The three of them, the Professor included, had taken a seat at the very back of the bus, while Heiji and Kazuha had taken seats closer up front to it, so they could keep an eye out for the stop that they needed. "Ah, you mean about Hattori? Did you think I was lying?"

Still, exactly how had he gotten himself into this situation? He hadn't intended for Ai to come along with them at all, but he supposed that he had vastly underestimated just how much she didn't want to be left behind. She was likely still suspicious about Subaru- but what a pain. The Professor was one thing, but he didn't really want to have Heiji and Ai meet under his current circumstances, not if he could help it.

"No, not exactly." Ai said simply, shaking her head. "I just found it hard to believe. But I suppose it's true after all- that Hattori-kun really is mute right now."

"Well, after what he experienced, it sounds as if he got off rather lucky." Agasa couldn't help but note, glancing between the two not children on either side of him. "Still, to think that his throat hasn't healed even after three months... that can't be easy on him."

"Well, that's why we're here right now." Conan noted, folding his arms in front of his chest. There was no way that he couldn't tell them the real truth- although he had twisted it a little. Like hell he would ever admit that he might have been somewhat wrong about the supernatural to anyone- least of all, to a scientist. "Though I doubt it'll do him any good."

"Naturally. There's no merit to things like spiritual healers." Ai said simply. "I'm amazed that Toyama girl managed to get him to agree to this in the first place. He must _really_ be desperate to go along with it."

"Well, he's always been quite chatty every time I've met him." Agasa noted. "It must be hard on him, being unable to speak."

"Well, he's probably just going along with it to appease Kazuha-chan." Conan lied. He would owe Kazuha an apology later, he mentally noted. "He probably just wants a chance to get out of the house too. Apparently his father has been ensuring that he's kept out of cases until it heals."

"I can't blame him." Ai noted, gaze flickering back towards Heiji. "His son did nearly die, after all. Though for someone as hotblooded as Hattori-kun, I suppose having a brush of his own with death was only just a matter of time."

"I really can't argue with that." Conan noted, a slight shiver running down his spine the moment the words had left his lips. Eyes straying up towards the source of it, he found that Heiji was shooting a dirty look back towards him- so apparently he could hear them from up there. "But well, it's fine, isn't it? When I looked into it, at the very least, it didn't appear that this Ikeda Kazuko woman was running anything that really looked to be a scam... she's probably just a nice old lady."

"Idiot. That's what they all act like." Ai noted, folding her arms in front of her. "What her intentions really are... I'll determine that much for myself when we get there."

"...Don't tell me that you're actually worried about him. Hattori, that is." Conan noted, casting a quick glance over towards her. He could only imagine her embarrassment if she learned that Heiji could hear everything they were saying- but he wouldn't tell her. Unless he transformed in front of her, there was no way she would believe something as absurd as the truth.

"Is there something wrong with that?" The sharp look that she sent his way made Heiji's glower pale in comparison. "I don't entirely dislike him, you know. Hattori-kun, that is. I doubt that he's the type to be taken advantage of, but I can't abide by something as unscientific as _spiritual healing_."

"That's why you wanted to come with him, isn't it?" Ai asked, quirking a brow. "Unless you _really_ believe this woman has the power to magically heal a throat that not even modern medicine and time can fix."

"Of course I don't." Narrowing his eyes, Conan shook off the slight glare that he could feel coming from Heiji's direction. As much as he wanted to complain about him eavesdropping on them, he probably couldn't help it. "I just think it's too quick to assume that she's scamming people. There are merits to traditional medicine too, you know."

"I'm aware." Ai noted simply. "That's why I'll approach this with an open mind."

"It sure doesn't _sound_ like it." Conan noted.

"I said I would approach it with an open mind, not without a suspicions. If I didn't have them I wouldn't be here right now." Ai noted simply. Well, that wasn't necessarily true- she really didn't want to be stuck watching the house with that suspicious man living next door. Staying with Ayumi was an option, but she didn't want to be a burden on her parents, nor did she want to risk the chance that they might somehow get mixed up in something.

"Fine. But be nice to Kazuha-chan. She's only doing this because she's worried about Hattori." Conan noted, his gaze flickering over towards the ponytailed girl. "This is the first time the two of you have really met, after all."

"I'll be polite." Ai told him. "At the very least, I can understand being concerned about someone you care about."

"Oh, really? That's news to me." Even though he knew it was coming, and that he probably deserved the death stare that his words earned him, Ai's glare still sent shivers down his spine. "Just don't forget. Unlike Hattori, she thinks I'm really a child."

"Yes, yes, I know." Nodding her head, Ai leaned back in her seat, casting a glance up towards Heiji, a slight frown crossing her face. It almost felt as if there was something slightly different about him from the last time that she met him- something more than just his lack of voice, and the scar around his neck. What that something was, she couldn't begin to put her finger on, though.

Still, she didn't think her instincts were wrong.

"Unlike _some people_ , I have no interest in others learning my secret." Flickering her gaze back towards Conan, she couldn't keep the slight smirk off of her face, watching the boy sputter in response. As much as he had come to trust and rely on his fellow high school detective, she knew that the fact that he had managed to figure him out within two meetings was something of a sore spot still.

" _Listen here_ -!"

* * *

"Hey, Heiji, don't ya think that's it up there?"

Pausing to glance in the direction Kazuha was pointing, Heiji frowned, carefully studying the traditional home that they could just barely make out from where they were. It really was quite the walk from the bus stop- he could just faintly make out the sound of that portly Professor gasping for breath awhile behind them.

With a firm nod of his head, he watched as Kazuha turned on her heel, a bright smile on her face as she addressed the others, telling them that they were almost there. Unable to help it, his lips quirked into a grin as he heard the relief on the Professor's voice- obviously he hadn't planned to walk this far today.

"Still, she sure lives in quite the secluded place, this Ikeda-san." If he hadn't caught whiff of his scent as he approached, then Conan's sudden appearance next to his feet might of surprised him- but he wasn't going to give him that kind of satisfaction. "She doesn't even have a phone line installed, does she?"

"That's right." Kazuha said, nodding her head. "She an' Heiji exchanged letters for a little while, but it seems that she doesn't have a phone. Of course, there's no cell service out here either."

"Sounds like a recipe for trouble, if you ask me." Ai noted, casting a glance up towards Kazuha, a slight frown crossing her face. From the way she had heard it from Conan, it was Kazuha who had gotten in touch with this so-called spiritual healer- but she was making it sound like the one behind their communications was actually Heiji. Given what she knew of him, namely that he was just as skeptical as Conan was of that sort of thing, she found that rather hard to believe.

Though it would be a rather odd thing for her to lie about, she had to admit. Still, she didn't really know Toyama Kazuha all that well- while she had met Heiji a number of times, the only time she had ever really had the chance to speak with Kazuha had been during the time she was disguised as Conan.

In other words, they naturally hadn't spoken much back then.

"Well, I'm sure it'll be fine." Kazuha noted. "She just seems old-fashioned, from the sound of it. Probably why she lives all the way out here in the first place. Right, Heiji?"

With another nod of his head, Heiji cast another glance down towards Ai. From what he had heard Conan say on the bus, it sounded like he had pinned the idea of coming here on Kazuha- and was still trying to protect his pride on top of that. Well, he could understand the reason why, though. There was no way that this one would believe in something like that, not without some rather concrete proof.

Proof he could give to her should he feel like it, of course- but he really didn't feel like it. He'd rather _avoid_ piquing her scientific interest.

Still, he sure was going to have some words with Conan later about the way he had painted Kazuha- he sure had a lot of nerve!

"Well, I suppose the view alone will be worth some of the price you're paying. It's in a good location, that house." Ai quipped, fixing her gaze on the house that was coming more and more into view. Although it appeared old, it seemed to be rather well-maintained. At the very least, she wouldn't be staying in some rundown hovel- that was always a good thing.

"Pay?" Kazuha blinked, exchanging a brief glance with Heiji. When he shrugged his shoulders, she could only look back down towards Ai again. "We're not payin' anythin'."

"Eh?" Clearly startled by this information, Ai stopped in her tracks. It only took her a second before she composed herself again, quickly catching back up to the group that had begun to leave her a bit behind. "Well, she's probably just waiting until you arrive to charge you for her services. Who knows? Maybe she won't let you leave if you can't pay?"

"I don't think it's like that." Kazuha told her quickly, nervously glancing back towards Heiji. Sure, she had faith in Erika's recommendation, but what if they really were making some kind of mistake here?

"I think it's fine." Conan interjected, mentally wondering what had happened to trying to act like a child in front of Kazuha. "If she did things like that, I'm sure that I would have heard about it somewhere on the Internet. Since there's nothing of that sort, she probably wouldn't go that far."

"That's right, that's right!" Nodding her head, a bright smile crossing her face, Kazuha couldn't help but perk up at his words. "Conan-kun's right, Ai-chan! You should really have a bit more faith in people!"

"Sorry, for not having faith in something so unscientific." Unable to help herself, Ai found herself slightly grumbling. She couldn't say that she enjoyed being lectured by someone a year younger than her, however well meaning they might be.

Casting a glance behind him, Heiji couldn't help but heave a sigh. Honestly, what a troublesome group he had ended up bringing with him- hopefully things would remain somewhat peaceful. After exchanging letters with her, he was fairly confident that this woman was the real deal- but he supposed he could understand Ai's viewpoint as well. It would have been his own, around four months ago.

As they drew closer to the house, Heiji found himself almost instinctively studying his surroundings. The house really was quite large- perhaps not as spacious as his own, but still fairly big. There would doubtlessly be more than enough room for their five person party, especially when said party consisted of two children and one fox.

Still, it was odd- for some reason, he found the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end, though he couldn't detect anything that would warrant such a feeling. Anticipation? He was certainly looking forward to getting his voice back, but he didn't think that was quite it. As a slight frown crossed his face, he spared a quick glance down towards Conan, who didn't appear that he was picking up on whatever it was that he was.

Was it outside of the range of his senses?

Knocking on the door, Heiji glanced down at his watch. Because of the problems with meeting up, they had arrived an hour later than planned, and of course, they had no way of contacting the woman about it. Hopefully she would still be there- and hopefully they hadn't made things too troublesome for her.

"Ikeda-han!" Kazuha called out, a slight frown crossing her face. "That's odd. She's not answerin'."

"Maybe she's deeper in the back?" Conan asked. "It is a big house, and if she's old enough, her hearing might not be that great."

"Ya have a point." Kazuha noted, carefully reaching for the door, pausing as it gave way in her hand. "Oh? It's unlocked?"

"Maybe we're supposed to let ourselves in?" Ai asked. "It doesn't look as if the house is abandoned, so she probably does live here."

"I don't know about that. It might be a bit rude ta just wander into her house, even if we do have an appointment. What do ya think, Hei-?" Her words stopping short as she took notice of the expression on his face, she almost instantly recognized that look in his eyes- as one that meant trouble. "Heiji?"

It was opening the door that did it- finally, he could realize what it was that was bothering him. There was a smell, a smell that he had come to know all too well, coming from somewhere in the house- and quite strongly, at that. His eyes sharply narrowing, Heiji didn't waste any time, throwing the door all the way open. If he was wrong, he would apologize later, but he didn't think that he was.

There was no mistaking that scent for anything else- the scent of blood.

Letting his nose serve as a guide, he raced through the house, only faintly making out the sound of other footsteps following behind him. Turning a corner, quickly picking out the room the scent was coming from, he threw open the door without any hesitation. Someone was there- and it wasn't just the person who was bleeding.

Still, he had to admit, he wasn't quite ready for to find someone wearing a mask there, a sword still clutched tightly in their hands. Freezing in his tracks for a moment at the sight, half uncertain if there was a person wearing it until they moved, taking advantage of his pause to flee. Before he could stop himself, he opened his mouth to yell for them to stop- an action that he quickly came to regret, his attempt at speaking like fire in his throat.

By the time he had recovered from the pain, the culprit had already fled from his sight. It was also long enough for Conan to finally catch up to him, quickly turning his attention towards the body on the floor. That, he would leave to him- there was _no way_ that he was going to let the bastard escape, not when they had the nerve to appear right in front of him.

Dashing out from the same exit they had taken, Heiji knew that there was no point in searching for them with his eyes. Even though they were wearing something that conspicuous, they had already had enough time to disappear back into the forest- but thankfully, that wasn't the only sense that he had to depend on.

He might not know who they were, or what their motive was- but they had picked a bad day to commit murder. Not only had they showed their face in front of a detective, but they had showed their face in front of one who could follow them, no matter where they went- he had already caught a whiff of their scent. That bastard with their oni mask- he would definitely catch them, before they had a chance to even know what hit them.

Or at least, that was the idea.

It was the river that did it. Skidding to a halt, Heiji's gaze flickered around, trying in vain to pick up a scent that he knew he would most likely be unable to track, he narrowed his eyes. It was probably just a coincidence- but nevertheless, it was a bad one for him. Unable to pick up any other sign of them, he narrowed his eyes, fists clenching tightly.

He had only caught a quick glimpse of her on the floor, but there was no doubt that the woman who lay there, covered in her own blood, was the one that the had come out all this way to seek. Not only had someone died- and of that he had very little doubt, since he hadn't picked up on the sound of her heartbeat at all- but he had also lost what was currently his only way to regain his voice.

What a day today had turned out to be.

* * *

"Did they get away?"

Brushing off the rather pointed look that Heiji sent his way upon hearing such an obvious question, Conan instead turned his attention towards the corpse. "I sent Kazuha-chan back down the mountains to use the phone to call the police. At this point, calling an ambulance isn't going to do any good."

Taking note of the rather firm nod of his head, Conan could only frown. To Heiji, this must have been quite the blow indeed- just when he thought he was so close to finally having his voice restored, something like this had to happen. Really, it was just their luck- even in this kind of place, they had still run into a murder case.

Even worse, that wasn't even the worst part.

"I hate to be the bearer of even more bad news, Hattori, but there's one other problem." Conan noted, a rather grim expression crossing his face. Judging from the look on his face, he probably hadn't realized it yet- this critically important piece of information.

"We're in Gunma."


	19. See No Evil

**AN** : Oh hey, here's the latest chapter! We're finally getting back to some warm weather over here after a sudden cold snap, which I am very grateful for... it's rather hard to write in a drafty room in the cold! As always, I thank everyone for reading this chapter, and I encourage you to leave reviews to tell me what you think, or any thoughts or feelings or theories that you might have.

Until next time!

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter Nineteen**

 **See No Evil**

* * *

He was going to have to take his earlier words back- there _was_ , in fact, a worse mix than a scientist and youkai.

"So, once again, to be _perfectly clear_ -"

"We've already explained the situation to you several times now." Goodness, but this one really never learned- wasn't it his fault that Mitsuhiko had almost been in danger that one time? Heaving a long sigh, Ai folded her arms in front of her chest. "The five of us were coming up here to pay Ikeda-san a visit, when we found the door unlocked, and her corpse. Of course, since there's no phone here, and it's out of service range, one of us had to head back down the mountain to call the police."

"I see, I see. And the first one to discover the body was..." With a nod of his head, Yamamura's gaze trailed towards the one who was lingering just behind the two strange children. For a moment, the glower plastered on his face alone was more than enough to send a chill down his spine- had he done something wrong?

" _Hattori_." With a faint whisper, Conan nudged Heiji in the leg, casting a glare of his own up towards him. He understood full well why Yamamura was probably the last person he wanted to deal with right now, but it wouldn't kill him to try and be a little nice. Although his efforts earned him a glare of his own, Heiji finally let out a long sigh, letting his shoulders slump.

Of all the police detectives to deal with right now... if he had been paying more attention, he would have realized that this place was in the Gunma Prefecture, but he had been so thrilled at the prospect of having his throat healed, that he hadn't given it any thought. Of course it would turn out this way- on top of the fact that he had lost his only way to restore his voice, he also had to deal with _this_ nuisance.

Or rather, maybe not his only way, Heiji thought to himself, his gaze briefly flickering behind him. He hadn't heard about it when they had been exchanging letters, but apparently Ikeda Kazuko had an apprentice- a granddaughter that she had been teaching her trade to. He hadn't actually been able to speak with her yet because of all of this, but perhaps...

Well, provided she wasn't the culprit herself. He had his doubts about that though- it wasn't impossible that she could pull it off in spite of her condition, but it certainly made things considerably more difficult.

 **It's me, it's me**. Having plucked his notebook from his back pocket, Heiji prepared himself for the inevitable question about his voice. Frankly, he was getting tired of people asking about it already. **I'm the one who saw the culprit too.**

"Ah, I see." Yamamura said, nodding his head, writing that down- before pausing, glancing back up, as if only now processing what was wrong with this scene. "Aren't you that high school detective from Osaka? I heard a rumor that you'd lost your voice, but..."

So the rumor had already spread this far- well, he guessed it made things a bit easier. With a curt nod, Heiji affirmed his suspicions, flipping to a new page in his notebook. **Yeah, in a case. Long story.**

"Ah, if it's about the case, I heard about it." Yamamura said, a slight frown crossing his face, and a glint in his eyes that Heiji decided very quickly that he didn't like. "So, this culprit, what were they like?"

 **I can't really tell ya. They had an average height an' build, but other than that, their face was covered by an Oni mask, an' they were wearin' a-** Heiji had to pause there, flipping to another page in his notebook, having filled up the one he had been writing on. - **a old fashioned kimono. Judgin' from their figure, they were probably a woman. There's no doubt that they were the culprit either, judgin' from the blood splatter on 'em.**

Strangely enough, the three people who had gathered at the house after the corpse had been found didn't smell at all like the culprit- even though his detective instincts, the ones he'd had much longer, were telling him that it was one of them. Now that he thought about it, there was something a bit strange about the culprit's scent in and of itself... but he couldn't put his finger on it. Was there some kind of trick to that? But for reason?

The only reason that he could think of for someone going that far was if they knew that someone with a strong nose was coming. But that only opened up more questions than it actually answered.

"And to clarify, you're the only who saw this culprit, right?" Yamamura asked- and now Heiji decided that he _really_ didn't like that look in his eyes. In the back of his mind, he was starting to already guess how this was going to turn out.

What a pain in the ass.

"That's right." Deciding to help his friend out some, Conan butted in. "Heiji-niichan sensed something was wrong before us, and went ahead. When he got to this room, the culprit was still here, and ran away when Heiji-niichan came into the room. He tried to chase him but..."

"He lost him." Ai finished. "Well, it can't be helped. This is Hattori-kun's first time on this mountains. If the culprit knew well enough to flee into it, there's no way he'd be able to find him that easily."

Unable to help himself, Heiji twitched at her words. As much as they were meant as a defense, somehow he couldn't help but feel like his pride as a fox had just been insulted. And to think it wasn't even something he had when the year started... his life had really gotten messed up somewhere.

And it was about to get more messed up, if what he was starting to think was actually true.

 **That's how it is. Got any problems with that?** Heiji wrote, trying his best to contain the disgruntlement that he was feeling. Of all the times for Kazuha to go back down the mountain to contact their parents... she couldn't have waited a little bit longer?

"But why would the culprit still be here?" Yamamura asked, glancing back towards where the corpse was. "According to the examiners, Ikeda Kazuko-san died around two hours ago. No matter how you look at it, it doesn't make any sense that the culprit would still be in the room, just waiting for someone to come along. Even a real oni wouldn't do something as strange as that."

It was a fair question, and that was what Heiji hated the most about it- because he was right, perhaps for once in his life. It really did make no sense. It hadn't been something that he had fully noticed in the moment- but when he returned to the scene, he realized that the reason he had only caught a scent of the blood after the door had been opened was because it had already largely dried.

So why? Why wait? Or had they come back to the scene for some reason? Again, _why_? Was there some kind of reason that they wanted to be seen?

"That's what he's still trying to figure out! Right, Heiji-niichan?" Conan asked, glancing up towards him. "More importantly, shouldn't you speak with the three of them, Inspector Yamamura?" Glancing back towards the three people who had gathered just outside the scene of the crime, Conan frowned. "One of those three people could be the culprit, you know."

"No, there's _four_ people." Yamamura clarified- a rather smug expression crossing his face. "Isn't that right, high school detective, Hattori Heiji-kun?"

 _And_ there it was. What he had suspected was coming ever since he had caught that look in Yamamura's eyes. Heaving a long sigh, Heiji folded his arms in front of his chest, wondering where to even _start_ with a response.

"No, Heiji-niichan can't be the culprit. In the first, this was going to be his first time actually meeting Ikeda-san, and it's not like he has a motive. Besides, why would a high school detective murder anyone?" Conan asked, heaving a long, exasperated sigh of his own. Judging from the look on Heiji's face, he'd seen this coming just as well as he had- but it didn't make it any less annoying.

Well, it was something that they would be able to quickly clear up. There was no reason for someone to actually suspect that Heiji had anything to do with this case, after all. Even someone like Yamamura.

Unless... what was this vague feeling of dread that he had in the back of his mind ever since that one case had been brought up? If things went in _that_ direction...

"Of course, a high school detective such as Hattori-kun would have no reason to murder someone. _But-_!" Thrusting out his finger, Yamamura pointed it straight in Heiji's face- even as he took two steps back, as if he wanted to put a bit of distance between the two of them. "That's, of course, provided you actually _are_ the real Hattori Heiji!"

 _And_ there it was.

 **What's that supposed ta mean? Who the hell else would I be, ya** _ **idiot**_ **?** If only he could speak, he would give this guy the kind of tongue lashing that he would never forget! But since he couldn't do that, he had to settle for what he _could_ do. **Don't tell me ya think I got replaced by a doppelganger or somethin' like that.**

"No, no, not a doppelganger." Yamamura said, wagging his finger. "Not a doppelganger, but a fox! I've heard about them before, you know... the legends that come out from that Seishina village. You might be able to conceal the truth from Hattori-kun's friend, but you can't fool this Youkai Hunter Yamamura! The fact that you can't speak it is proof to that!"

Somehow the fact that he was vaguely close to the truth only managed to piss Heiji off all the more. And making such a scene in front of three potential culprits- what was he going to do if weird rumors started to spread because of this?

 **Right, well, ignorin' yer stupid theory fer now, ya really should talk to those three, Inspector.** To be frank it, was nothing short of a small miracle that he was managing to hold in his temper right now- but he knew that if he blew his lid, it would probably only somehow further serve as _evidence_ , or whatever. Better to nip this whole thing in the bud before it got out of hand. **That's yer job, ain't it?**

"Well, I suppose you're right." Yamamura noted, his eyes narrowing, his suspicions clearly not swayed. "But don't think I'm going to drop this conversation here!"

"Sounds like you're going to have a tough time with this case, Hattori." Conan couldn't help but note, glancing up towards his friend, once Yamamura had made himself scarce. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Ai had gone to speak with the Professor about something- meaning that they could talk a bit freely. "You should probably make sure that _Hei-chan_ doesn't show up here."

Of all the things for Yamamura to suspect, that this was somehow a _fake_ Hattori Heiji- who did he take him for, if he thought he was someone who could be fooled that easily? Even if he _could_ be fooled, there was no way that Kazuha and Heiji's parents would be- there was no doubt that the Hattori Heiji that he was with at the moment was the real deal.

Just one that was sometimes a lot fuzzier than normal.

But if they gave Yamamura any real reason to believe that his suspicions were correct, there was no telling _what_ the bumbling Inspector would do. Honestly, he was starting to regret ever using him as a puppet for his deduction shows.

 **Ya don't have ta tell me twice, Kudo.**

* * *

"Eh!? Really, Heiji!?"

Lifting a finger to his lips to shush her, Heiji cast a glance back towards Yamamura, heaving a long sigh when he realized that the man hadn't noticed the sudden outburst. Not that he could blame Kazuha for it, not really, not considering the accusations that were being leveled towards him.

"Geez, ta think somethin' like that would have happened when I went down ta use the phone!" Kazuha frowned, firmly placing her hands on her hips as she shot the Inspector a glower of her own, one that made a shiver run down his spine. "What kinda _idiot_ does he take me fer, if he thinks I'd ever be fooled by a fake?"

Saying something like that... she would give him a piece of her mind, the first chance she got!

With a shrug of his shoulders, Heiji couldn't help but keep the amused grin on his face that had appeared the very moment Yamamura had sensed what was no doubt a small amount of killing intent that was coming from Kazuha. He'd been subject to those very same glares a few times in the past, and he knew full well that they were something to be feared- that was what he got, saying things like that!

'Well, I'll just have ta solve this case up real quick.' Heiji told her, his grin growing as Kazuha turned her full attention back towards him. 'Well, I say that, but there's several things about this case that bother me already. It's almost as if the culprit _wanted_ me ta see 'em, fer one. No matter how ya think about, it's weird.'

"Maybe it wasn't you specifically?" Kazuha asked, glancing back towards the other three people who had gathered here. "If I recall, one of them is her granddaughter and her disciple, and the other is one of her clients. The third one is..."

'Apparently another spiritual healer. Ishihara Satsuki.' Heiji noted, glancing their way, a slight frown crossing his face. 'Can't tell if they're the real deal or not though. I hear Ikeda-san spent her free time exposin' frauds, an' was quite well known fer that. If that old lady there is a fake, that might give her a motive.'

"Can't ya tell, Heiji?" Kazuha asked.

Merely shaking his head, Heiji gave her something of a helpless look. 'I can't tell that much. I know that the granddaughter was learnin' the trade from her grandmother, but I can't sense anythin' from her either. It might be beyond my abilities, unfortunately. Well, even if she _is_ a fraud, that doesn't automatically mean that she would resort ta murder ta solve her problem, an' she's the only one of those three who doesn't have any reason ta be familiar with this area.'

She was _still_ the only one with an obvious motive, if it was true that she was really some kind of fraud. But if there was one thing he had learned, it was that the ones with the most obvious motive weren't always the culprit. Furthermore, out of the three of them, the only one who had any reason to know anyone was coming around this time was the granddaughter- even if they had shown up an hour later than planned, due to the Professor's train mix up.

That said, given the condition of her eyes, even if she knew the area well, running away through the forest would have been rather difficult. Likewise, judging from what little he had managed to glean of her personal history, she had the least amount of motive- rather, she had every reason to be _grateful_ to the old woman.

As for the third suspect... the client, Okazaki Ryoko, he didn't know much about her just yet, other than that she appeared to be deaf in one ear. Her right, to be exact- though it appeared she could hear well enough out of her left. Perhaps that had something to do with why she had come here in the first place... or perhaps not, given that it sounded like she came here every few months.

"Maybe she had an accomplice?" Kazuha theorized, putting a hand to her chin. "I don't suppose that the smell-"

Shaking his head again, Heiji watched as Kazuha let out a somewhat defeated sigh. He couldn't blame her for that either- of all the times that he didn't want to get wrapped in a murder mystery, now was one of them. And to think, it appeared that that _damn Inspector_ was seriously considering making him the prime suspect... if he wasn't careful, things really could quickly become a pain.

There were certain recent past actions that Heiji was already coming to regret. Judging from the thoughtful look in Kazuha's eyes, she was probably thinking the same thing.

"Ah, but that's right, Heiji, ya called me over fer somethin' right?" Kazuha asked. "What was it that ya needed?"

'Ah, that.' Directing his attention towards the granddaughter, who had given her name as Ikeda Junko, Heiji's gaze quickly flickered back towards Kazuha. 'I'm gonna need yer help ta talk ta her.'

"My help...?" Trailing off for a moment, as if she didn't quite understand, Kazuha turned her gaze towards the young woman. As she did, a look of understanding dawned across her face, casting a sympathetic glance back towards Heiji. "Ah, I see. That _would_ make it rather difficult for the two of you to communicate with each other."

* * *

"Yer Ikeda Junko, right? Ikeda Kazuko's granddaughter?"

"Yes, that's correct." With a faint nod of her head, the young woman by the name did her best to put a faint smile on her lips- losing her grandmother had clearly taken it's toll on her. Gaze trailing in the direction of the one who had spoken to her, her pale blue eyes fixed on a point just slightly off to the side of Kazuha's face. "The two of you are... Toyama Kazuha-san, and Hattori Heiji-san, correct? I'm very sorry that I haven't been able to speak with either of you properly, up until now."

"It's fine, it's fine." Kazuha was quick to reassure her, her gaze briefly flickering over towards Heiji's direction, watching as he gave a firm nod of his head in agreement. "Heiji thinks so too. Given what happened, it's not yer fault, Ikeda-san."

"Ah, just Junko is fine." Junko told her. "Still, to think that something like this would happen to my grandmother... I still can't believe it."

"Don't worry! Heiji will catch the culprit, fer sure!" Kazuha told her, a bright smile crossing her face. "Right, Heiji?"

With a quirk of his brow, and a few signs that she easily recognized as being along the lines of _idiot, she can't see_ , Heiji nevertheless nodded his head once more. Leaning back in his chair, he tilted his head a bit to the side, carefully studying the dark haired young woman in front of him. She appeared to be not much older than either of them- possibly in her early twenties, if that.

Judging from her scent, there was no doubt that she was a resident of this house. It was everywhere he went, along with that of her grandmother's- but it also wasn't the same as the culprit that he had encountered mere hours ago now. Overall, the only impression that he got from her was of a granddaughter mourning her grandmother- if that was an act, it was a damn good one.

If there was one thing that he was wondering about, it was how much she knew about him. He hadn't mentioned it to Kazuko either- his true nature, that was. But if she really had some kind of spiritual power, then it was possible that she could sense that much.

"Catch the culprit?" Junko blinked, tilting her head a bit. "Pardon me, Hattori-san, but I got the impression from my grandmother that you were only a high school student. Plus, that Inspector said..."

"Ah, that Inspector just has some _weird_ ideas about Heiji right now, so you can just ignore him." Kazuha said shortly, not even needing to look at what Heiji was signing to guess what he was thinking. "Well, ya might not have heard of him in such a remote place like this, but Heiji's a high school detective. He's pretty famous in the Kansai area!"

"Eh, is that so?" Junko blinked, before inclining her head in apology. "In that case, do forgive me. I didn't mean to cast aspersions."

"Don't worry about it!" Kazuha reassured her. "Yer grandmother was just killed, so ya must still be in shock, right? Not ta mention there's police officers tramping all through yer house."

"Yes, I was quite shocked when I returned home to find police officers at the house." Junko confessed, her brows knitting together. "In the first place, my grandmother sent me down to the train station because you hadn't shown up at the appointed time, Hattori-san. When I got there, I ran into Okazaki-san, and decided to come back with her."

Glancing towards Heiji- or more specifically, towards his hands- Kazuha gathered together what it was that he wanted to tell her. "Professor Agasa- ah, that's the old man who came with us- got on the wrong train, and held us up at the train station for an hour. That's why we were late."

"More importantly, did you hear anything suspicious from around when you left?" Kazuha asked. "Like a sound that seemed out of place, or something like that."

"No, nothing like that." Junko said, shaking her head. "Everything seemed as it normally was."

"Then was there anyone who resented your grandmother?" Kazuha asked, keeping her gaze fixed on Heiji's hands as she spoke for him. "I heard that she investigated other spiritual healers before, to expose them for fraudulent practices. If that's the case, is Ishihara-san...?"

"I don't know." Junko admitted, shaking her head. "Ishihara-san and grandmother have worked together a number of times before, so I would assume that her abilities as a spiritual healer are genuine. However... lately, it seems as if things have grown somewhat strained between the two of them. Grandmother never spoke to me about it though."

"Do you know what she came here for, then?" Kazuha asked.

"No, I don't." Junko told them. "I only know that we met her at the base of the mountain when we returned."

"So all three of ya returned ta the house together?" Kazuha asked, pausing for a moment to catch the rest of what Heiji was signing. "What about Okazaki-san then? What was her relationship with yer grandmother like?"

"Okazaki-san is one of grandmother's longstanding clients." Junko told them. "Apparently she's been coming to visit her for this and that since before I started living with her, around seven years ago. If I recall, around three or four years ago, the two of them seemed to become on bad terms, but lately, the relationship between the two of them has started to improve again."

"Why?" Kazuha asked, mentally wondering if she should add sign language interpreter to her list of skills.

"I don't know. Grandmother didn't like speaking out a client's personal information with me back then, since I wasn't her full fledged disciple just yet." Junko told her. "I only recall that it had something to do with Okazaki-san's niece. Anything more than that, though..."

Exchanging a brief glance with Heiji, catching that thoughtful look in his eyes, Kazuha turned her attention back towards Junko, deciding to ask her a question of her own. After all, they had come out all this way for it- it would be a shame if they really had to go back home with no results. "I hate to ask this at a time like this, Junko-san, but how much did you learn from your grandmother?"

Quickly understanding the reason for the question, Junko gave them a small smile. "I know enough to help, at the very least. That said, I'm not as skilled as my grandmother is-" and there was a long pause there, as her eyes fell, her hands balling into fists on her lap, "... _was_. I'm not as skilled as she was, but I think I might be able to help, at least a little."

"And if I can't, at the very least, I can refer you to someone else, Hattori-san." Junko told him, turning her gaze in the direction she thought he was sitting in- helped along by the faint sound of him tapping a fingernail against the table, pulling her gaze towards him. "Considering that you came out all this way, it's the very least I can do."

"Ya hear that, Heiji!?" Beaming over towards her friend, Kazuha didn't miss the way his face seemed to light up at Junko's promise. He had been waiting for over two months now, after all! "Ya might really get yer voice back after all!"

Just as he nodded his head, a wide grin on his face, Heiji's ears picked up a sound, turning to face the door. He recognized those footsteps- and sure enough, the one who knocked on the door and entered the room was none other than Conan. Watching as he quickly gauged the situation, his gaze darting towards Kazuha, and then towards Junko, a childlike smile crossed his face.

"The Inspector wants to see you about something, Heiji-niichan!" Conan announced. "He says it's important!"

Judging from the disgruntled tone that he was doing his best at holding back, it wasn't all that hard for Heiji to make a guess as to what it was about.

* * *

"I just heard something _very interesting_ from the officer that I sent down to the train station!" From the way he was acting, Heiji could have sworn that Yamamura thought he had already figured out the case- and it was all he could do to restrain his temper. It was probably for the best that Yamamura was also making a concentrated effort to stay out of the range of his grasp- he was putting on a big face, but it was almost too obvious that he was actually shaking in his boots.

That, he had to admit, he didn't quite hate.

"According to the station master who was working today, nobody matching your description got off any trains arriving at that station!" Boldly declaring that much, a rather smug look crossed Yamamura's face, as if this was the very proof that he needed. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Conan shooting him a rather incredulous look of his own- as if he had already figured out the reason behind this.

"Of course, the same station master also testified that a young girl matching Toyama-san's description got off the train at around twelve-thirty, but there was no one else with her at the time." Yamamura continued. "So? What do you have to say to that?"

Twitching a little at his turn of phrase, almost dying to point out that he couldn't say anything, _idiot_ , Heiji nevertheless somehow managed to reel in his temper. Blowing his top here wouldn't do him any good, as he thought earlier. Besides, he had nobody to blame for this but himself... except for, perhaps, the high cost of train tickets. It was a lot cheaper to just buy one train ticket, and have Kazuha smuggle him onto the train in her bag, rather than to buy two.

That said, he never would have guessed that he would have wound up involved in a murder case all the way out here. Considering that he hadn't run into any cases like this at all in the past few months, he had almost forgotten that it was the sort of thing that kept happening around him. If he knew, he never would have done such a thing.

Still, what a pain in the ass. If the Inspector seriously planned on chasing him as his prime suspect, it would only make it harder for him to do any real investigating. There was no way he was just going to sit around like a good kid and wait for Kudo to do everything for him- not when this was a bit personal. The only thing that he could do right now was remind the Inspector, loud and clear, that there were more important things to focus on right now.

The fact that he was so close to the actual truth, and yet also somehow still so far away, was probably what bothered him most of all, to be honest. But well... he couldn't say that was at all unexpected for Yamamura.

 **Then, if I didn't take the train, how do ya propose I actually got here, Inspector?** All but thrusting the notebook in Yamamura's face, Heiji took some small satisfaction out of the way the Inspector flinched. **Since there's only one person workin' at that station, he probably just didn't see me get off the train. Besides, I bet he sure as hell saw me waitin' fer the kiddo an' his companions over there with Kazuha.**

"Ah well, that's certainly true, but..." Yamamura trailed off, taking half a step back.

 **But what?** Taking another step forward, Heiji narrowed his eyes. **The more time ya waste with that annoyin' theory of yers, the less time we have ta actually find the real culprit.**

"Heiji's right!" Kazuha said, nodding her head, closing in on the Inspector's personal space herself. "He told me what ya said ta him earlier, ya know. Can ya really call yerself a police detective, if yer gonna say such ridiculous things? Do ya really think I'm such an _idiot_ that I wouldn't know my own childhood friend?!"

"Besides, things like transforming foxes don't even exist!" Conan chimed in. "Heiji-niichan went through something terrible back then, so I don't think it's right to throw such things in his face!"

"That's right, that's right!" Kazuha insisted, narrowing her eyes. "If ya keep sayin' things like that, I'll be havin' a word with your superiors myself!"

"I got it, I got it." Taking a full step back, any illusion of backbone that he had earlier having faded away, Yamamura let a nervous smile show on his face. "I won't bring it up again."

"Ya'd _better_ not." Pulling herself back, Kazuha let out a puff of air, folding her arms in front of her chest. "Ta think that ya would start sayin' such things, after all the times that Heiji's helped ya out in the past... how ungrateful can ya get!"

 **Anyways, if ya ask me, between the three of 'em, Okazaki Ryoko an' Ishihara Satsuki are the most suspicious.** Deciding to force a change of subject, Heiji dangled the notebook in Yamamura's line of vision again- this time a bit further away from his face. **Yer officer** _ **did**_ **check out their alibis while ya were checkin' out mine, right?**

"Ah, of course." Yamamura said, nodding his head. "Just as she claimed, Okazaki-san did indeed get off the three thirty train, and met up with Ikeda-san's granddaughter at the station. As for Ishihara-san... apparently she comes here by car. We found hers parked where she claimed to have left it, and the young man working in the convenience store across from the lot says that she parked it there around three fifty or so."

"It takes around maybe twenty minutes to walk here from the base of the mountain." Conan recalled, putting a hand to his chin. Given the fact that the culprit had to have been here around the time that they arrived, Ishihara Satsuki was currently the most suspicious- if she drove here in her own car, she was the only one who had the chance to do it. It would have been impossible for Junko to have arrived at the train station around three thirty to meet Ryoko, if she had been the one behind the crime.

Of course, if one of them had an accomplice, everything got more complicated.

And this case was already shaping up to be complicated enough as it was. Scratching the back of his head, Conan cast a glance up towards Heiji, locking eyes with his fellow detective. He never would have thought there would have come a day when he would have taken Heiji's sense of smell as viable proof, but given that he couldn't recognize any of the three people who had gathered here by their scent, it could be that they were completely off the mark.

Which left the question of who had killed Ikeda Kazuko wide open.

On top of everything else, he doubted that Yamamura's suspicions towards Heiji had actually been dropped. If anything, they had only just bullied him into keeping quiet about them. If he did anything even remotely suspicious, then he probably wouldn't continue to stay quiet.

 **I guess we'll just have ta talk ta the two of 'em ourselves. Right, kiddo?** The notebook was held out in Conan's direction, and he glanced up, catching the grin on Heiji's face. Well, if he wasn't going to let it bother him that much, then he wasn't about to dwell on it for too long.

They had a case to solve, after all.

* * *

"It would seem that Inspector has some rather strange ideas about Hattori-kun."

"Ah, you heard that." Since it would look stranger to get defensive of it, Conan merely turned back on his heel, casting a glance back towards Ai. "Yeah, so it would seem. Well, if anything, the only thing that surprises me is the fact that the Inspector knows anything about the local legends from that area."

"From Seishina, you mean?" Ai asked. "That's where Hattori-kun got involved in that case, isn't it? Kobayashi-sensei had quite the expression on her face that day, when she got that phone call from Ran, so I remember it quite well."

"Yeah, that's right." Nodding his head, Conan's eyes narrowed, his thoughts drifting back towards that dreadful day once more. Apparently Kazuha had called Ran a bit after she had gotten to school, and rather than wait for school to get out, Ran had then called the school, in order to get him out of class. "Well, in the end, he only ended up spending the time he was supposedly missing recovering in the back of the local clinic, so we were all worried about him for nothing."

"Well, given who the culprit of that case was, I can't say that I blame him." Ai said simply. "Not knowing who in the village might try and kill me... I would have stayed put where I was just the same. That said, I'm a bit surprised that someone like Hattori-kun would do something like that. He's usually more direct than that."

"Well, he was also heavily injured at the time." Conan told her. That was the cover story that they had decided on, so it was best to stick with it. "Really, he's just lucky he didn't die."

Really. He was really, really lucky. Sure, there was plenty about it that annoyed him- but he'd be lying if he tried to claim that he wasn't at least a little bit grateful that the supernatural had turned out to be real. At the very least, a little bit of it had- just because transforming foxes and mermaids were apparently real, didn't mean he was ready to just accept the whole host of otherworldly creatures as being something more than just fiction.

"From his scars alone, I can tell that much." Ai said simply, letting a small sigh escape from her. She got the strange feeling that there was more to that story, but for the moment, she didn't press it. It was like she believed the ridiculous theory that Yamamura had been spouting earlier- a fox replacing a human? Absurd. There was no way that something like that was possible- and even if it was, the notion that a fake would be able to fool not only his childhood friend, but his fellow high school detective on top of that... she couldn't believe it.

She might not know him quite that well, but there was no doubt in the mind that the Hattori Heiji that she had met at the train station today, and the Hattori Heiji that she had first met at the hospital, were the same person. While she had to admit that there was something that felt off about him, such an unscientific theory deserved all of the flak that it was currently getting.

Deciding to drop the subject for the moment, Ai instead changed it to a more pressing one. "So? It looks like we'll have to stick around here until this case is solved, won't we?"

"Ah, it seems that way." Conan said, nodding his head. "For the moment, Hattori and Kazuha-chan have gone with Junko-san to the supermarket to help her buy ingredients for dinner before it gets dark. Since it looks like she'll have to buy quite a bit more than planned, she's going to need the extra hands."

Of course, they had questioned the other two suspects- but just as they thought, they weren't being very open with anything that could be a possible motive. When they had mentioned her niece to Ryoko, she had downplayed her supposed spat with the victim, and when they had asked Satsuki the reason why she had come here, she had simply made up what was obviously a lie.

Of course, they had already asked an officer to look into both the matter with Okazaki Ryoko's niece, and Ishihara Satsuki's business practices, but it would be awhile before they returned any results. After all, the two of them lived in completely different prefectures, which made things more complicated.

"And?" Casting a glance Yamamura's way, a deep frown crossed her face. "Will he be staying with us?"

"So it seems." Conan said, heaving a long sigh. He wasn't about happy about the prospect either- and he could only imagine how less happy Heiji was about it. "Of course, so will Ishihara-san and Okazaki-san."

"I see. Once again, you've managed to land us in a rather fine mess, Kudo-kun." Ai said simply.

"You were the one who wanted to tag along." Conan pointed out, narrowing his eyes. "Don't go blaming me about it. And besides that, the one who brought us here in the first place was-"

"Hattori-kun, right?" Ai asked, leveling her gaze with him. Although he tried to hide it, and did it rather well, she had known him for some time after all- and she couldn't resist letting a hint of a smirk cross her face once she realized she was right. "I thought it was a bit strange. You told me that it was Toyama-san who contacted Ikeda-san in the first place, but according to her own words, the ones who exchanged letters were Hattori-kun and Ikeda-san instead."

"So? Are you going to tell me the _real_ reason that the two of you wanted to come here?"


	20. Hear No Evil

**AN** : Oh hey look, it's chapter twenty! This fic will probably be over by chapter twenty five, if not a little before that, give or take how long it takes me to write out this final arc. This final arc also correlates into the plot of the sequel, so hopefully that's something that should get everyone excited! As always, thanks for reading, and please leave a review if you can!

Until next time!

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter Twenty**

 **Hear No Evil**

* * *

"So? Are you going to tell me the _real_ reason that the two of you wanted to come here?"

He couldn't deny the cold sweat that broke out on the back of his neck even if he tried. It wasn't as if he regarded Ai as being stupid- on the contrary, one didn't get to be a researcher in the Black Organization at the age of eighteen if one wasn't basically a prodigy- but he hadn't expected to be confronted with this question so _quickly_. He'd be outright lying if he said that he hadn't expected the question to come at some point, but for it to be _now_ of all the times...

Well, at the very least, she wasn't asking it within earshot of Yamamura.

Sensing that there was no way out of this that didn't involve telling Ai at least a little bit of the truth, Conan let out a long sigh. Heiji would probably have his hide later if he said the wrong thing, and for a moment, he entertained the notion of not telling him at all. "Alright, _alright_. You're right. It was Hattori who wanted to come here, not Kazuha-chan."

"I thought so." Ai said simply, a slightly smug expression crossing her face. "You should have just said so from the beginning, Kudo-kun. There's no reason to lie about something like that."

"I just thought you would have made fun of Hattori for it." Conan told her, his gaze flickering back in Yamamura's direction, once more confirming his location. That guy probably wasn't going to stop suspecting Heiji any time soon, even if he was bound to be less vocal about it after essentially being threatened into silence. "Hattori's desperate, you know. That's the only reason why he decided to take a chance on something like this."

"That much I can imagine." Ai admitted, closing her eyes, a faint sigh escaping from her. "Judging from what I've seen of him in the past, he can be quite the loudmouth. But perhaps this is actually better." Peeking one eye open, a trace of a cold smile appeared on her face. "This way, the chances that he might accidentally let your secret slip out are next to nothing."

"Idiot, don't say something like that!" He'd be lying if he tried to claim that thought hadn't popped up in his head at least once- but at least he had the good sense to be _guilty_ about it. "If you suddenly lost your voice after being able to speak all your life, wouldn't it bother you as well?"

"It was only a joke." Ai told him, her expression not changing in the least, barely batting an eye at his reaction. To get that riled up in his defense... it would appear that he cared for his fellow high school detective quite a bit. "But really, what a fine situation that he's landed us all in- himself in particular."

Not entirely convinced that it had been a mere joke, Conan merely cast her a long look- before he allowed the moment to pass. "From the sound of it, Yamamura really wants to make Hattori out to be the culprit. No matter how you look at it, it's completely absurd. If an imposter had _really_ replaced Hattori, there's no way that I wouldn't have noticed."

"Oh? Then I suppose you know the reason why he didn't show up in front of the station master?" Ai asked, tilting her head. She couldn't help but note that the only part of Yamamura's theory that Conan had outright refuted was the notion that Heiji had been replaced- strange, considering how much more absurd the other part of it was. Perhaps he merely thought that went without saying, that such a thing couldn't be true. "No matter how you look at it, that's rather strange."

"Ah, well that's..." Conan trailed off for a moment, averting his gaze from her. He _did_ know the reason, but it wasn't exactly something that he could tell her. How could he? Heiji hadn't actually told him about it yet- but it was pretty easy to guess what had happened. Judging from the large duffel bag that was among his luggage, he had probably curled up in there in the form of a fox, thereby skipping out on having to pay for a train ticket. It didn't _quite_ sit right with him, but then again, he supposed in all fairness, he wasn't much different- if there was one small advantage to his current predicament, it was the cheaper prices children had to pay.

"Does it really matter?" Conan finished, turning a rather flat gaze back towards her. "Don't go sounding like you think Hattori's the culprit as well, Haibara. If _that guy_ hears you, he might actually take you seriously."

"Oh?" Lifting her brows, Ai couldn't help but admit that she was almost glad that she had come, murder case and all. It wasn't often that she got to see such an expression on Conan's face- and she quite enjoyed it whenever she did get the chance. "You sound as if there's something you're still hiding from me, Kudo-kun."

"I'm not hiding anything." Keeping his tone as dry as possible, Conan merely let out a rather exasperated sound. "And don't go saying weird things around Hattori either, Haibara. He's been through a lot lately, and with Yamamura acting that way around him... well, he's _bound_ to snap and lose his temper at some point, if this keeps up. Considering the circumstances, that's probably something we should try and avoid."

"I can't deny that." Ai admitted.

As much as he denied it, she was almost entirely certain now- there was something that Conan was yet hiding in regards to Heiji. The fact that he would try and keep a secret from him wasn't all that surprising- though he didn't always do it very well, Heiji was doing very much the same for him already. She couldn't claim that she wasn't somewhat interested in what it might be.

But he was right about one thing- that Heiji had been through something traumatic. From the sound of it, he had barely survived someone's attempt to murder him- and top of that, had fallen from a cliff, into a raging river. Really, it was a miracle that he was still alive- losing his voice was a small price to pay, in light of that.

She was sure that the person himself didn't think so, however.

"Fine, Kudo-kun." Ai said simply, shrugging her shoulders after a moment. "I'll refrain from asking Hattori-kun any questions that might bring up bad memories for him. I rather like him, after all. He's an amusing fellow."

"Is that why you set his love confession as your ringtone?" Conan couldn't resist asking. He'd been the one who had sent it to her in the first place, granted, but he hadn't quite expected that she would use it for something like that. "Since you're here now, he's bound to corner you about that at some point, you know."

Though it was also entirely possible that Heiji had completely forgotten about it in light of recent events. He should _probably_ remind him if that were the case, before it became a problem.

"I fully expect him to." Ai told him, a bemused smile on her face. "After all, there's a certain brand name bag that I've been eying lately."

"So that's your goal." Somehow, he wasn't all that surprised. Letting out a slight sigh, Conan merely arched a brow. "Just so you know, I don't think Hattori's going to be as easily pressured as you seem to think he'll be."

"Who knows. I, for one, think he'll give in right away." Ai noted. "Now then, _mister great detective_ \- don't you have an investigation to conduct?"

Casting one last skeptical look Ai's way, Conan turned back on his heel, heading back over to where the two suspects of the case were. Somehow he got the feeling that one way or another, before this case was over, he was going to find himself with quite the headache. But what the _source_ of said headache would be, well... that was still anyone's guess.

* * *

"But I must say, you have quite the boyfriend, Toyama-san!"

"B-boyfriend!?" Turning a bright shade of red, Kazuha nearly sputtered out the word, for a moment wondering if she had heard the young woman right. Thank god that Heiji wasn't currently within earshot- even with his good hearing, there was no way he could hear something like this all the way from the other end of the street. "W-wait a second! Heiji's my friend, sure, but he's not my _boy_ friend!"

"Eh? He's not?" Blinking a little, Junko drew back, a slight frown on her face. Judging from the flustered tone her voice took on, and the way that she stammered, she could tell that perhaps Kazuha wasn't being entirely honest with her. "I thought for sure, given the way the two of you interact that..."

"No, no!" Quickly shaking her head, Kazuha tried to get a handle on her beating heart. Talking about it with Ran was one thing, but with someone that she had only just met? She wasn't ready for that! "It's really not like that! Heiji an' I are just childhood friends, that's all!"

"I see..." Trailing of a little, Junko put a hand to her chin in thought. "I thought for certain that the reason that he became human had something to do with you, Toyama-san."

"Eh?" Blinking in surprise, this time for a different reason, Kazuha's gaze flickered back towards where Heiji was busy fussing with a vending machine. Judging from the look on his face, it must have eaten his money. "What do ya mean by that? It might be different now, but Heiji was born human."

There was no point in hiding the truth from her, not if she was able to sense that much. Just as Heiji thought, it would appear that she was able to sense that much from him- if not the exact specifics.

"Eh? Is that how it is?" Junko asked, a slight look of surprise crossing her face. "I'm sorry. I just assumed-" Cutting herself off, the young woman shook her head, giving her a rather apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, if I said something strange."

"Ah, no, there's nothin' ta apologize fer!" Kazuha said quickly, shaking her head. "But why are you askin' me this, so suddenly? Ya could always just ask Heiji himself. Since ya agreed ta look into his case fer him, I'm sure he'd tell ya if ya asked."

"Ah, well..." There was a slight pause there, before she gave her an almost apologetic smile. "It's just that, in my experience, foxes tend to be liars. Even when they don't mean to be, really. I suppose you could say it's something akin to an impulse. But I suppose if Hattori-san was human to begin with, it might be a bit different for him."

"That's right. If anythin', Heiji's a terrible liar." Kazuha told her. Strangely enough, it felt almost a bit refreshing to have someone that she could openly discuss this topic with. There was always Conan, sure, but there was only so much that she could talk about with a child. "That hasn't really changed, since... well, _that_ happened."

"You really do sound like childhood friends." Junko couldn't help but observe, a small laugh escaping from her. "I must apologize for saying that before. It's just that I've never really heard much of the opposite before, and given what that Inspector said back there... I thought for sure that he was a fox that had turned into a human because he was in love with you."

"L-Like I said, we're really not like that!" Kazuha blurted out again. No good- her cheeks were turning red again! Really, she was just grateful that Junko couldn't see something like that, but if Heiji came back to join them, then...

It was because of that warmth in her face that the feeling of something cold pressing up against it made her jump all the more. If it wasn't early spring now, she probably would have spun on her heel right then and there, as soon as she had recovered from that moment of shock, and paid Heiji a good jab for his trouble. He was _always_ doing that sort of thing!

As such, she took a small bit of satisfaction at the disgruntled look that crossed Heiji's face once he realized that he couldn't sign to her with one hand occupied with a can of coffee. Still, she wasn't exactly _that_ mean spirited- and deftly snatched the can from his hand, casting a rather expectant look towards him as she did. She could only hope that he hadn't managed to overhear too much.

Flashing a grateful grin at her as she did so, Heiji cast a quick glance over towards Junko. He had caught a bit of their conversation while he was on his way back, enough to confirm without needing to ask that it appeared that she did have some idea as to his true nature after all.

And well... if he'd heard a little too much of the _other_ subject that they were discussing, that was something that he was going to keep to himself too. The quick way that Kazuha had dismissed the idea of them being together stung a little, but judging from the redness of her cheeks, she probably wasn't being entirely honest. As he thought, she really...

Not that there was anything he could do about it right now. Any plans to confess to her had been put on hold for the time being. It wasn't as if his feelings for her had changed, not in the least, but...

If he really couldn't find a way to return to being human, was it really fair to start a relationship with her? Granted it was much, much too early to give up, considering that he had barely even begun to start looking for a way, having been so focused on finding a way to get his voice back.

Well, if Kazuha were the one to confess to him, it would be a different story, though. For the time being, he just didn't want to press her into making a choice like this. He might have embraced his new nature, but doing so had also come with a thorough understanding of just how much longer he would live than her if nothing was done about it. He wasn't... he wasn't certain if he wanted to put Kazuha through that.

'Are we done here, Kazuha?' Putting aside anything else that he might want to say, Heiji instead settled for that. This was neither the time nor place to think about romance, not when someone had been murdered, and _definitely_ not when he was, for rather irritating reasons, on the list of suspects. 'I'm startin' ta get a bit hungry, ya know.'

"Yeah, I think that should be everythin'." Kazuha told him, nodding her head, before casting an eye back towards their host. "Is that right, Junko-han?"

"Yes, that should be everything." Junko said, slightly inclining her head. "I'm sorry. Normally I would have already finished the shopping and would be preparing dinner by now, but considering what happened today..." Unable to finish her sentence, she trailed off there, forcing a smile on her face. "Not to mention that I haven't even had a proper session with you yet, Hattori-san."

'Ah, that's okay, that's okay!' For a moment, forgetting that the young woman was blind, Heiji signed towards her anyways- before quickly realizing his mistake, his gaze flickering over towards Kazuha, who repeated what it was that he wanted to say. 'I'll make sure ta solve this case right quick, Junko-han! I won't let yer grandmother's murderer get away, I can promise ya that.'

He had a bone to pick with them as it was anyways.

* * *

"You should probably be careful around Haibara."

Well, _that_ was a cheery thing to come back to. And here had been thinking that the reason Conan had pulled him away to someplace a bit private was because he had something about the case to share with him.

 **That little Neechan?** Given the choice, he would have transformed into a form where he could use his telepathy freely for this sort of talk, but for now, he needed to restrain himself from doing that sort of thing as much as possible. Instead, he settled once more for his notepad. **Why?**

"She suspects something." Conan told him frankly. "Of course, she has no idea as to _what_ , but she figured out that you're the one who wanted to come here, Hattori."

 **So?** Not quite understanding why that was a problem, Heiji blinked. **You were the one who wanted ta act like this was Kazuha's idea in the first place, not me. It's no problem if she knows that much.**

"It _is_ a problem." Conan stated frankly. "Haibara knows that you're supposed to be as big a skeptic about this stuff as I am- or _was_ ," he quickly corrected himself, their brief exchange from the Kid heist floating back to his mind, "...so of course she's going to find it strange if you suddenly start acting otherwise."

 **Well, that's true...** Rubbing the back of his neck, Heiji cast a glance down towards his shrunken friend. **But I don't think she's goin' ta find out just from that.**

"No, not from that much." Conan said, shaking his head. "For the moment, I managed to convince her that you were just desperate enough to try out all of your options," and he paused there, an unspoken apology flashing across his face at the slight glower his friend directed towards him, "...but she's perceptive, and might pick up on other things if you're not careful. You don't want her to find out, do you?"

At the rather blank expression that crossed Heiji's face, Conan didn't need any words to guess what the answer to that was.

"Then _be careful_ , Hattori." Conan advised him. "I'd try and convince the Professor to take Haibara back on the first train out of here tomorrow morning, but that would probably only make her more suspicious. She doesn't know what, but I get the feeling that she knows we're hiding _something_ from her."

 **I'll be careful, don't ya worry!** Heiji promised him. He might have slipped up a little the last time- but well, it wasn't as if Conan knew about that. **Besides, I don't think that little Neechan would ever-**

Stopping in the middle of his sentence, Heiji snapped his notebook shut, tucking it back away. Taking his cue from his friend's actions, Conan turned his gaze back down towards the hallway, feeling his shoulders slump slightly when he realized that the only person heading their way was only just Yamamura. For a moment, he'd almost been worried the culprit had shown back up again.

"Is there something you need, Inspector Yamamura?" Keeping a childish chirp to his voice, Conan called out to the bumbling Inspector, quickly catching his attention. He'd been looking as if he had been looking for someone- odds were, that someone was probably Heiji. He could only hope that it wasn't to bother him again.

"Oh, Conan-kun!" Nodding his head, Yamamura almost seemed relieved to see him there. As he thought, he must have really been looking for Heiji- and definitely still believed his earlier theory, if the thought of being alone with him was enough to fill him with apprehension. "That's right. I was looking for Hattori-kun, actually."

"Heiji-niichan's right here!" Conan told him, glancing up towards his friend, who stepped into the hallway behind him. Judging from the way that Yamamura flinched as he did so, it would appear that his earlier theory had been completely on the mark. "Did you figure out something new about the case?"

"Ah yes, as a matter of fact." Yamamura told him, glancing between the two, a rather uncertain look on his face. "Like you asked, I had one of my subordinates look into Ikeda Kazuko's recent movements. It would appear that as you said, Hattori-kun, that she was definitely looking into some kind of matter, according to her friends."

 **Any chance ya got any details?**

"Ah, no, I'm afraid not. According to her close friends, it would appear that she was investigating something rather big, to the point where she almost appeared to be afraid to talk about it." Yamamura told them, glancing down at his notebook. "She did mention to one of them, however, that she wanted to consult with the police about something. That three days ago."

 **So in other words, it's possible that whoever killed her was tryin' ta keep her quiet about somethin'.** Heiji noted, narrowing his eyes. **From the sound of it, she hadn't gotten a chance ta speak with the police yet.**

"It would appear that would be the case." Yamamura told them. "According to my superiors at Gunma police headquarters, she did have a meeting arranged the day after tomorrow to speak with someone there, but it doesn't appear as if she gave them any details as to what. Only that she would prefer to discuss it in private, rather than over the phone."

"Junko-neechan didn't mention anything about that, did she?" Conan asked, glancing up towards Heiji, a slight frown on his face as he shook his head in response. "Although if she was too nervous to speak with her friends about it, it's possible that she didn't want to tell her granddaughter anything."

 **That's right. Whatever it was, it must have been pretty big, if she was askin' ta speak with someone at police headquarters, rather than just the local police.** Heiji noted, kneeling down next to Conan, in order to make sure that the contents of his notebook were only read by the boy himself. That certainly didn't stop Yamamura from _trying_ , he noted, catching the man attempting to peer down at it out of the corner of his eyes.

He got the vague feeling that there was something that he wanted to say to him, but for the moment, he was holding his tongue. Whatever it was, it was probably something stupid again.

Honestly, when were the Gunma police going to wise up and fire this guy?

"Yeah." With a firm nod of his head, Conan filed this information away. If the motive was indeed trying to silence her before she could speak with the police, then it made Ishihara Satsuki all the more suspicious. Still, for a woman who apparently spent a fair amount of time investigating fraud cases tied to spiritual healers, it was strange that she would feel so nervous this time around.

Was it just because it was related to someone that she knew? Or was there something else going on here?

Either way, it would appear that they would have to do some poking around, and hope that the culprit hadn't destroyed any records that the deceased Kazuko might have left. However, aside from the room in which she had been killed, the rest of the house appeared to be in order. Well, if the culprit really was one of those two, they would probably have cause to know where she might have hidden something like that, and wouldn't have to tear the house apart to look for them.

Still, even that didn't fully explain the time gap. Why had the culprit lingered for so long at the scene of the crime? What was their purpose? Was there something even more to this case, than just trying to keep one old woman silent?

Unless... if that was true, then they couldn't afford to let her out of their sights, for her sake.

* * *

 _It seems like we had the same idea, Kudo._

"Hattori." Though the hour was late, and by now most everyone else had long since gone to bed, he couldn't help but heave a long sigh at his friend's current appearance anyways. It was a form that he hadn't seen since everything had wrapped up in Seishina- that ephemeral form, which made it more clear than anything else that Heiji was no longer human. "I thought we said that you wouldn't be showing that kind of appearance around here."

 _It's fine, it's fine._ Flashing his friend a wide grin, Heiji reached up, tapping the fox mask on his face. _As long as I have this, nobody needs ta know it's me. Well, provided that they can see me anyways. Besides, I've got some business that I need ta discuss with the young lady of the house that I can't do by myself._

"About the case?" Conan asked, keeping his voice quiet. "Or about your voice?"

 _Bit of both, really. But seein' as yer here, it seems like ya thought of the same thing that I did back there._ Heiji noted, carefully placing a foot down against the floor. He had gotten used to the sensation of not quite touching it in this spirit-like form. _I considered askin' Kazuha fer her help, but it kind of defeats the purpose if she can't speak with me face ta face. Or well... so ta speak, anyways._

"Kazuha-chan?" Conan blinked. "I'm sure she wouldn't have any problems with it if you woke her up and asked her to interpret for you." There was a long pause then, as Conan carefully assessed his friend's expression, his lips twisting into a tight frown. "...that's... not what you mean, is it?"

 _Do ya wanna know?_

Judging from the broad grin on Heiji's face, and the mischievous twinkle in his eyes, Conan very quickly decided that no, he did not. "I'll pass." He said, before glancing towards the room they had both found themselves in front of. "But if you wanted to speak with her about your voice, you could have done it during more normal hours."

 _We agreed ta meet around this time, actually. There's too many ears around that might hear things they're not supposed ta. Besides, like I said, it's easier fer me ta communicate with her this way._ Heiji told him.

"What I can take from that, then, is that she knows about you." Conan noted, letting out a small laugh, one of almost disbelief. "I guess I'm going to have to accept that she and her grandmother might really be the real deal, huh?"

 _I wouldn't be here if they weren't, Kudo._ Heiji pointed out, reaching out a hand to ruffle his hair, watching the way Conan's expression shifted at the strange feeling of being touched by something that didn't seem as if it were actually there. _Well, yer doin' yer best, aren't ya? That makes me kind of happy, ya know, as yer best friend~._

"You keep saying it like that, and I'm going to take those words back, you know." Conan pointed out, reaching up to swat his hand away, an act which failed spectacularly when his own hand merely passed through Heiji's. "...let's just get this done. If I'm right, it's possible that Junko-san might be in danger as well."

 _Yeah._ With a curt nod of his head, a more serious expression crossed Heiji's face. _If the culprit was waitin' there fer her ta come back, then..._

"They might have thought that Ikeda-san told her granddaughter something about what she was investigating." Conan noted. "And either they're wrong, and Ikeda-san told her nothing, in which case we have all the more reason to protect her, or-"

 _Or they're right, in which case, we might be able ta learn somethin' too._ Heiji finished, almost grinning from ear to ear. It felt like awhile since they had properly synced up like that- and with everything that he had gone through, frankly he was just a bit happy that they still could. _Either way, it's a good thing that we got here first._

"Yeah. If it had been Junko-san who had come back home first... even if she didn't know anything, that might not have been enough to save her." Conan noted, his eyes narrowing. "Perhaps our mutual bad luck when it comes to running into corpses finally proved itself useful."

 _Maybe._ Heiji noted, reaching out a hand to knock on the door, before he stopped himself, a slightly disgruntled expression crossing his face as he realized something. _Any chance ya wanna do the honors, Kudo?_

"Can you not..." Conan began, before he cut himself off, shaking his head. Reaching up a hand, he knocked on Junko's door, shifting on his feet a little. From the way Heiji's ears twitched, he could tell that he could hear something that he couldn't. Indeed, a few seconds later, the sound of someone fumbling with the door entered into his own range of hearing.

"Ah, Hattori-san!" Letting a small yawn escape from her, Junko looked up in his direction- or a bit to the right, as the case was. "Please come in. Sorry to make you come out this late."

 _No, no, don't think anythin' of it!_ Carefully gauging her reaction as his words floated into her head, Heiji relaxed his shoulders somewhat as she seemed to take in stride, a look of understanding drawing across her face. _I hope ya don't mind that I brought the kid with me. He's got some questions that he wants ta ask about yer grandmother, actually._

"My grandmother?" Junko blinked, turning her gaze downward. "Why?"

"Because I'm a detective, just like Heiji-niichan is!" Conan chimed in, a bright smile on his face. There was no need for coupling his childlike words with childlike expressions with her, he realized that much- but at this point, it had just become a habit. "And I want to help catch the bad person who killed your grandmother, Junko-neechan!"

"Is that so?" Junko asked, her expression turning to that of a fond smile. "That's impressive, Conan-kun. But isn't it a little late for you to be awake?"

"It's fine, I'm not tired!" Conan told her, following Heiji into the room. Watching as Junko carefully slid the door shut behind him, and fumbled with it for just a moment before she locked it, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes. Perhaps she realized...?

"Then, shall we start with the questions about my grandmother first?" Junko offered. "It would be better to get them out of the way before I check you over, Hattori-san."

 _Yeah, that's fine!_ Heiji told her. His gaze drifting back down towards Conan, he made a small face, realizing that as easy as it was to speak to her in this form, it might be better if he asked the questions. Sending out his thoughts to more than one person at a time was a trick he hadn't learned yet. _Then, I'll let the kid here be in charge of the questions. He's somethin' like my assistant, ya know!_

"Really? That's amazing, Conan-kun, being a detective's assistant at your age." Junko noted, carefully taking a seat on the floor, and inviting the other two to do very much the same.

It was a good thing that she couldn't see the dirty look that he was sending Heiji's way, because Conan sure was directing one towards him. He didn't need to know what Heiji had told her to know what he'd said- seriously, when were people going to stop it with the assistant thing? At least it was better than Heiji being his _detective master_ , though.

"Yeah!" Conan exclaimed, all the while sending Heiji a look that conveyed to him that he was going to get him back for this later. "I want to be a detective when I grow up!"

"A noble profession." Junko noted. "Well then, what do you have to ask me, little detective?"

"Your grandmother worked to expose bad people, didn't she?" Conan asked. "People who lied about having spiritual abilities, and cheated people out of their money without actually helping them, right?"

"Yes, most of the time that's what she found herself looking into." Junko told him. "Sometimes, she dealt with people who had real abilities, but still had rather... troublesome business models, or who oversold their own powers. We're not actually miracle workers, you know. Just like doctors, there's things that we can do, and things that we can't."

"Well, hopefully I'll still be able to do something for you, Hattori-san." Junko added on after a moment. "If not, I promise that I will find someone who can. Grandmother would tell me to do the same, if..."

"Then!" Cutting in before she could allow the weight of that to sink in on her, Conan winced a little, realizing that he had raised his voice a bit too much there. "Do you know if your grandmother was looking into something before? The Inspector told us that her friends seemed to think that she was, and she had a meeting set up to meet a police officer about it."

"Eh, she did?" Junko blinked, roughly glancing between the two. "It's true that I did think she was acting a bit strangely lately, but I didn't think that..."

"Did she not tell you anything?" Conan asked, exchanging a glance with Heiji. If that was an act, then it was a good one.

"No, she didn't." Shaking her head, Junko gave them an apologetic look. "But that's strange. Usually grandmother does tell me these things, so I wonder why she didn't this time."

"Maybe she didn't want to get you involved?" Conan ventured. "Her friends seemed to think she was rather nervous about it, whatever it was. Did she usually act like that when she was looking into something like that?"

"No, not really." Junko told them, once more shaking her head. "Grandmother was always a confident woman. But it's true, she did seem a bit nervous lately. I thought it was just because she seemed to be arguing with Ishihara-san, but..."

 _Ishihara-han seemed ta deny that they were arguin'._ Heiji chimed in. _Any chance ya noticed any strange behavior from her lately too?_

"Eh, did she?" Junko blinked. "That's odd... I was certain that she and my grandmother were a bit on tense terms recently. Maybe I was wrong? As for strange behavior... the only thing I can think of was that she recently started to sell amulets, but I'm not really sure that qualifies as _strange_."

"Amulets?" Conan asked. "Like charms, you mean?"

"That's basically it." Junko said, nodding her head. "We don't sell them here, though. Grandmother thinks that people might get a bit too reliant on their power, and not notice when it gets used up. It's too dangerous, she says." There was a slight pause there, as she considered her own words for a moment. "Well, that was just my grandmother's opinion though."

Exchanging another glance between them, Heiji and Conan mulled over the information that they had been given thus far. From the sound of it, it sounded like the motive behind Ikeda Kazuko's murder might really have been to keep her quiet about something- but as for what that something was, it appeared that they were back at square one.

"Did your grandmother seem bothered by anything in the news lately, maybe?" Conan asked her. "Maybe something that she saw around a month ago?"

According to Yamamura, that was when her friends had started to notice that she seemed a bit nervous about something. Since a month ago was _also_ when she had started to exchange correspondence with Heiji, he'd tried to press that issue- but thankfully, they had been able to point out that there was no reason why she would have invited him to her house, if that really was the case.

"Mmm..." Placing a finger against her chin in thought, Junko considered the question. "I recall she did seem upset about something a few weeks ago, but since she was reading the newspaper..."

 _Ya wouldn't be able ta tell what?_ Heiji asked, tilting his head. _Any chance ya know if it was the local paper or not?_

"I think it was." Junko said, nodding her head. "But I don't really recall what date it was. It was sometime around three or four weeks ago, though. Now that you mention it, I think she started acting a bit odd around then."

It wasn't much to go on- but it was something. Without a doubt, she'd seen something in that newspaper that had troubled her enough to look into the matter, and whatever that thing was... it might very well be what had lead to her murder. Turning to look towards Heiji, to tell him that they should dig up the archives for the local newspaper first thing tomorrow, Conan found himself stopping short.

Something clearly wasn't right. His ears were perked upright, his back stiff, and his eyes strangely glazed over, it almost looked as if Heiji wasn't actually quite all there at the moment. The fur on his tail was raised up, much akin to how one would get goose bumps on one's skin, and it too, was perked up in a rather alert fashion.

"Oi, Ha-" Cutting himself out before he could slip up in his act, Conan quickly corrected himself. "Heiji-niichan? What's wrong? _Heiji-niichan_!"

Snapping out of whatever he had fallen into, Heiji blinked rapidly, casting his eyes downwards towards Conan. Quickly taking note of the hint of worry on his face, he frowned, feeling a hand stray up to his own head. Narrowing his eyes, he glanced between the two occupants of the room, feeling the strange feeling that had briefly overcome him slip away as if it had been nothing more than a product of his imagination.

 _Sorry, Kudo. Did ya hear anythin' just then?_

"Did I hear anything?" Conan repeated, slowly shaking his head, his expression only growing more troubled at that. It shouldn't be something that bothered him- he'd come to accept the fact that Heiji's hearing was far better than his own now. And yet, it did. "No, I didn't."

"I didn't hear anything either." Junko noted, a slight frown on her face. "Did something happen?"

 _Ah, no, it was nothin'!_ Reaching up to rub the back of his neck, Heiji knew the smile that crossed his face was a nervous one. _I just thought I heard somethin' weird fer a second there, but it was probably just my imagination!_

"Hei-" Conan opened his mouth to say something, but found himself cut off, watching as Heiji shook his head. "You're right! It was probably just nothing, Heiji-niichan!"

No. It wasn't. It definitely wasn't nothing, not judging by the expression carried in Heiji's eyes. It wasn't nothing, but he didn't want to discuss it here, in front of Junko. For the second time today, he felt cold sweat prickle on the back of his neck.

He hadn't come here to deal with a murder case that involved things that were decidedly out of his element- but apparently, that was what he was going to get.


	21. Speak No Lies

**AN** : I must confess that I actually wanted to get this update down two days ago, but between the four hour fireworks bonanza on Tuesday keeping me from focusing, and the headache on Wednesday, I wasn't able to get as much done as I wanted to. But it is finally done, so there's that, at the very least! Sorry for keeping y'all waiting for this long, that wasn't my overall intention, so much as it just kind of happened.

As always, thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you can!

* * *

 **The Bells Chime Beyond**

 **Chapter Twenty-One**

 **Speak No Lies**

* * *

"It wasn't nothing, was it?"

He should have known better than to think that he could fool someone like Kudo. His shoulders slumping, Heiji let out a long breath, wondering what it was that he should say. Part of him wanted to reassure him once more that it really had been nothing, even though he knew that his friend wouldn't buy it, but the other part of him felt as if he deserved to know the truth.

Besides, that sensation... if this perhaps was something dangerous, then it would be better if he had someone who knew about it. For a brief moment, it had felt almost as if he hadn't quite been there, lacking any other way to describe it. Even now that it had faded, it was still more than enough to make his skin crawl.

 _Yer right, Kudo. I lied._

"I figured." Conan said, letting out a long sigh. He'd really wanted to press him about it earlier, but he'd wisely decided that it should wait, at the very least until they put a bit of distance from Junko's room. This wasn't something that they wanted her to overhear, even if she'd only be able to make out one part of the conversation. Ideally, he'd rather they return to his own room to discuss the matter, but considering the fact that Junko might be in danger, neither of them wanted to let her room out of their sights.

She was likely the reason why the culprit had lingered in the way they had. Most likely, they hadn't been aware that Kazuko had a client that had been planned to come visit that day, and had expected to find Junko somewhere within the house. When they failed to, they had probably decided to wait for her to come back- but thankfully, the ones who had gotten there first weren't who they had been expecting at all.

If that old man hadn't gotten on the wrong train, and if Junko hadn't come to check on them, and missed crossing paths with them, they probably would have been dealing with two victims here, not just one. But so long as the culprit thought that she might know something about what her grandmother was looking into, he found it hard to believe that they would just let her live.

As it stood, she was in danger.

She hadn't said as much in words, but it would appear that she realized it too. When morning broke, he would see what he could do to get her some form of police protection, but he didn't know if Yamamura would go along with it. At the very least, if they were in the neighboring prefecture, rather than this one, he was certain he could get Inspector Yamato to believe him right away, but since they weren't, he had to make do with what they currently had.

Inspector Yamato wouldn't accuse Heiji of murder either, Conan thought glumly- nor of being a _fake_. Between the two, he honestly couldn't decide which bothered him the more.

Still, he couldn't deny that something _weird_ had happened back there.

"Are you going to talk to me about it, Hattori?" Conan asked, looking him straight in the eyes- or tried to, at any rate. Narrowing his own, Conan couldn't help but wonder when it was that he had slid the fox mask into place over his face, but it gave him an uneasy feeling, not being able to see his friend's eyes. What if they looked as they had in that moment?

That zoned out expression of his from back then... it hadn't been normal, not at all. Though Heiji was the type to get distracted, from time to time, it had never happened like that. It almost looked as if he wasn't really there, but was someplace far away.

 _Even if ya ask me that, I don't know what ta tell ya, Kudo._ Heiji confessed, half sensing that the presence of the mask on his face was making his friend nervous. He considered moving it, but on the off chance that there was someone with the ability to see here, someone who might be watching, it would provide him some small degree of protection.

Instead, he leaned his back against the wall, willing himself not to simply fall through it, his tail already slipping through. _It's just... fer a second, I thought I heard somethin', just barely inside my range of hearin'. Even if ya ask me what it was, I can't tell ya that either, I just know that I could hear it. It sounded like a voice, maybe, or somethin' near like one, but I can't really tell ya anythin' more than that._

"A voice?" Conan asked, narrowing his eyes. "Was it just hearing the voice that distracted you? It didn't seem that way to me, Hattori."

 _That's because yer right._ Heiji admitted again, a hand straying up, resting lightly on his mask. Unlike other things, it had a solid physical presence to him, in the sense that it was probably part of him. _Fer a moment, it was like it wormed it's way inside of my head, an' not in the same way mine's doin' with ya right now. I didn't like it, Kudo, not one bit._

"Do you think it's dangerous?" Conan asked. It felt like a silly question, but nevertheless one that he still needed to give voice to, even if he already knew what the answer was.

For a long moment, Heiji said nothing- until he drew in a long breath, hand dropping away from his mask.

 _Yeah. Definitely._

* * *

In the end, he hadn't said a word to her.

To his credit, he had thought about it, rather long and hard. He'd had plenty of time in which to do it, since he had decided to stand guard in front of Junko's room all night, with Kudo by his side. He'd tried to convince him that he didn't need to stay up with him, but after what he had told him, he knew that his words were bound to fall on deaf ears. There was no guarantee that that voice, that presence, wouldn't come back, nor was there any telling what it was that it had wanted in the first place.

Though it wasn't as if they couldn't make a few guesses.

In the end, he had decided against telling Kazuha about what had happened last night. He didn't want to cause her any worry, especially when nothing had happened yet. Though she eyed him somewhat suspiciously as he let out a loud yawn, the exhaustion from last night hitting him hard the moment he took on a more physical form, she apparently accepted the explanation for why he hadn't been there when she had woken up that morning.

It wasn't as if he was lying anyways, not exactly.

It would be Kudo's job to convince Yamamura to ensure that Junko had police eyes watching her, which seemed to be a task that he had passed on to the old Professor. Whether or not it would work, it didn't really matter- he didn't intend to allow for a situation where she might be put in danger.

If the culprit had gone so far as to kill her grandmother just to shut her up, there was no guarantee that they would believe that Junko really didn't know anything. Whoever they were, and whatever they were trying to hide, he got the sense that they were the type who didn't like to leave any loose ends lying around.

He wondered if that was what he was, since he had seen them- a loose end. Either that, or he was merely a tool, one that they intended to try and use- especially after Yamamura's outburst from yesterday had been heard by everyone. Well, whatever their plan was, he wasn't about to let them have their way. He had come here to begin his journey to return to being human, not to stray further from that path.

"So ya really think Junko-san's in danger, Heiji?" Having the good sense to lower her voice when she spoke, Kazuha leaned a bit closer to him. "In that case, ya should hurry up an' figure out which of 'em is the culprit, quick."

Casting an incredulous look in her direction, Heiji opened his mouth to make a retort to that- before he quickly closed it again, rolling his eyes and resorting to sign language. 'Ya don't think I'm tryin'?'

"I think yer tryin', all right, but that ya should hurry up." Kazuha noted, a hint of a mischievous smile crossing her face. "If Kudo-kun was here, I bet this case could have been solved in a flash."

It was provocation, and he knew it, but that didn't keep him from taking the bait. Maybe it was for the best he couldn't speak right now, otherwise he was almost certain he would have grumbled out something to the effect of _Kudo's already_ _ **here**_ _, idiot_. Thankfully, he had the discretion not to sign anything out to that effect, if nothing else.

To make matters worse, he knew that Kudo had heard it, too. That was the sound of his faint snickering that he could make out, not nearly covered so well that he couldn't hear it. He could laugh all he wanted, but the one who would solve this case was still going to be him- he had too much of a personal involvement in this case for anything else.

Instead, he merely cast a sour look towards Kazuha, his brows furrowing together. _'Idiot_ , I don't need Kudo around ta solve a case like this. I'm startin' ta get a picture of what might have happened anyways, it's only a matter of time before I solve the whole thing.'

"Well, if ya say so Heiji, then I believe ya." Kazuha observed, casting a smile in his direction. It would appear that her words weren't necessary to get him all fired up- but for all that he gave her headaches, she couldn't help but want to make him grumble from time to time. "Do ya need my help?"

Nodding his head, Heiji's gaze flickered in Junko's direction, before he looked back towards Kazuha once more. 'Yeah. Keep watch on Junko-han fer me while I'm gone. I don't know yet if that hack Inspector's actually goin' ta listen ta that old man yet or not, but I wouldn't bank too much on it.'

"Then, I guess Junko-han's been removed from suspicion, then?" Kazuha asked, keeping her voice low. "Well it did seem that way. It would be pretty hard fer a blind girl to flee like that into the mountains, even if she knows 'em well."

Shaking his head, Heiji cast a quick glance around the room, double checking to make sure that neither of the other two suspects were currently there. He didn't smell them, but he'd gone through most of his life trusting his eyes before he trusted his sense of smell, and that habit wasn't easy to break. 'I don't doubt that one of those two ladies connected ta the murder, but I'm skeptical that they actually went so far as ta carry it out themselves. There's probably some other third party involved in all of this.'

"Eh, really Heiji?" Kazuha asked, leaning closer to him, having the wisdom to drop her voice. "But the officers scoured the mountains yesterday, an' didn't find anythin'."

'The culprit had plenty of time ta get away, right?' Heiji signed. 'Well, in the worst case scenario, they've already disappeared from this village, but I doubt it. Their job probably isn't finished yet.'

Leaving it at that, Heiji flashed her a quick grin, rising to his feet. He could all but sense that Kudo wanted to move on to the next leg of the investigation already- and that was trying to figure out what the newspaper article that so bothered the deceased Kazuko might have been. According to local police, the local newspaper kept quite the extensive archive at the library, so that's what they were going to check next.

Well, provided the culprit hadn't gotten there first. Considering that this paper didn't have a digital archive, things might be a bit tough if they had.

* * *

 **What is** _ **she**_ **doin' here?**

"My question is why you waited until we actually got here to ask, Hattori-kun." Though he had tried to conceal what was written on his notepad from her, she didn't allow- Haibara Ai was not the type to allow others to talk about her behind her back, much less in front of her face.

 **Yer sure not cute.** Grumbling to himself, this time Heiji made sure that she could see what was written on it. **I thought that ya just might be goin' the same way, little Neechan.**

"To do what?" Ai questioned, barely so much as sparing him a glance. "Since it would seem that the _business_ that you came here for is now impossible, Hattori-kun, I'd rather not spend more time in this place than needed. I simply thought three pairs of eyes would find things faster than two."

 **Ya got a problem with what I came here fer?** All but thrusting the notebook in her face, Heiji twitched at her words. Even if he would have been the same way not even two months ago, she didn't have to put it like that!

"Don't fight, you two. This _is_ a library." Letting out a long, exasperated sigh, Conan glanced between the two. Really, what was Ai even doing here? She wasn't the type to so freely offer up her help, which meant that she doubtlessly had some kind of ulterior motive here. It couldn't possibly be that she was somehow suspicious of Heiji, was she?

No, no, there was no way that someone like her would ever believe a thing someone like Yamamura had to say. There must have been another reason.

 **M'not the one makin' noise.** Heiji pointed out, ignoring the fact that he was doing that right now, by slapping the page he had written on, to get across the emphasis he wanted to express. He was starting to get better at this kind of non-verbal conversation, Conan couldn't help but notice.

"You're helping make it." Conan noted. "Now try and act your ages, _both_ of you, while I ask the librarian if we can see the newspaper archives."

"Well, I'll behave." Ai said simply. "I don't know about Hattori-kun, though."

Gritting his teeth, Heiji cast a fearsome glower down towards the shrunken scientist, all but feeling the curve of his canines growing a bit sharper. For all that, she barely even so much as blinked at him, which was probably for the best- it allowed him to calm himself a bit. She really had a way with words, didn't she!

"...don't mistake me, Hattori-kun," Ai finally spoke up, her gaze not straying from Conan's back, watching as he effortlessly slipped on that act of his, asking the librarian if they could perhaps look at their archives of the local newspaper. "...it's not as if I don't feel some bit of sympathy for your current predicament. It's simply that there's no point in coming all the way out here, for a treatment that's likely nothing more than smoke and mirrors."

 **I'll be the one ta decide that.** Heiji noted, all but shoving his notepad in her line of vision. **What do ya care anyways? The two of us barely talk.**

"And it would seem that's how things shall remain from now on, won't it?" Ai couldn't help but quip, all but brushing off the intense glower that she felt him sending towards her. He really did have a temper, didn't he?

"Call it simple curiosity." Ai noted. "Though I do admit, I am curious as to how you arrived here without apparently taking the train, Hattori-kun."

She was half teasing, he could sense that- but there was a bit of an earnest question in there too. Was she somehow doubting him? She wasn't the type to think that something like being replaced by a fox was at all possible, even if that was half near what had happened, which left...

No, if she was thinking something like _that_ , he got the feeling that she would be staying as far away from him as possible. Hell, it was an idea that even made _him_ shudder.

 **I was on the train.** Heiji finally wrote. **I guess the station master just missed, that's all. It happens, ya know.**

"I see." Ai said simply, closing her eyes. "Well if you say so, then."

Any chance to press her further with questions slipped away from him as Conan headed back their way, a key in his hands. Letting out a soft sigh, Heiji allowed his gaze to flicker down towards Ai once more, before he focused it back on his friend, a huge grin spreading out across his face as he reported back that they had been given permission.

Well, as long as he solved this quickly, he'd be able to avoid a lot of other things that he might otherwise need to worry about. With that in mind, Heiji gratefully accepted the key from Conan, playfully ruffling his hair in a way that he knew his friend would get revenge on him for the first chance he got.

He could worry about the tiny, nosy Neechan later.

* * *

"I found it, Hattori!"

One would think that at this point, he wouldn't fall into the trap of opening his mouth to speak anymore, and yet, that was exactly what he did. It couldn't be helped- this might very well prove to be a vital clue for him to begin to piece things together, of course he was a bit excited.

It would seem that they had gotten here a step ahead of the culprits. Either they didn't know about the newspaper article, or they had been deterred by the fact that the key had to be asked for. Either way, he wasn't about to let this chance slip away.

"How can you be so sure it's the one, Kudo-kun?" Ignoring the slight glower that both detectives sent her way, Ai merely slid into place next to him, peering with some curiosity at the article. It only took her glancing at the title for her to realize why, faintly clicking her tongue and muttering _ah_ underneath her breath as she did.

A cult did seem like the sort of thing that a spiritual healer would concern themselves with. The idea of trying to root out fraud in a practice based in fraud seemed absurd to her, but she supposed the scale of this and that were two different things.

 **A cult?** Peering at the article, Heiji all but took it from Conan's hands, not caring much for having to read it upside-down. Ignoring the grumbles that earned him, Heiji set it down on the desk, using his free hand to write something down on his notepad, before turning it around so that the others could read it. **I think I've heard of these guys before. They're based somewhere in Kyoto, or somethin' like that.**

"And from the looks of it, Gunma too." Conan said, taking the newspaper back from him, taking a closer look at it himself. "What have you heard about them exactly, Hattori? If this is the source of Ikeda-san's strange behavior..."

 **Not much.** Shrugging his shoulders, Heiji racked his brain for what he did know. He hadn't really been paying that much attention to them, that sort of thing being outside of the scope of what a high school detective could do. **Just that they've got a fair number of followers, an' some shady business practices.**

"Sounds rather par for the course of any cult, then." Ai quipped, carefully studying the article herself. It was little more than a discussion about the new branch they were planning to open up in Gunma, as well as the opposition to that. "The police always itching for a way into these places. If that Ikeda-san found something along those lines, it makes sense that they would want to do away with her. The real question is how they managed to find out she knew."

"Didn't Junko-san mention something about her grandmother and Ishihara-san being on strained terms?" Conan asked, glancing over towards Heiji. "If she had started working with the cult, then..."

 **No, it's too early ta say it's Ishihara-han fer sure.** Heiji pointed out, tapping the notepad on which he had written. **She mentioned somethin' about Okazaki-san's niece as well. That cult is apparently well known for it's miracle cures, so it's too quick ta rule her out.**

"That's right." Conan mused, placing a hand on his chin. "If Okazaki-san went to the cult after Ikeda-san didn't offer the extent of help that she hoped for, it's possible that she might bear a grudge. Either that or her niece passed away somehow, and the cult might have convinced her that Ikeda-san's refusal was at fault for it."

 **If that's the case, then we should look into them both- Ishihara-han's business practices, an' Okazaki-san's niece.**

"Which I doubt we'll be able to learn from either of them, even if we asked." Conan noted, heaving a short sigh. "I'll talk to the Professor when we get back. He might be able to dig something up."

 **Yeah, good idea.** Nodding his head, Heiji's gaze flickered over towards Ai once more, a slight frown on his face as he watched her gaze fall away from him. This was really starting to bug him now, actually- but for the moment, he was doing his best to ignore it. **Ya head back with the little neechan fer now, Kudo. I want ta try an' do a bit more diggin' around here. I might turn somethin' else up.**

"Are you sure?" Conan asked, looking a bit startled. He had been underneath the impression that Heiji hadn't wanted to be alone, ever since he had heard that strange voice. "We can stick around until you're done, Hattori."

Flashing him a quick grin, sensing what he was worrying about, Heiji placed a hand over his chest. Kazuha's charm hung there, almost seeming to hum underneath his hand, though he was certain this was something he had imagined himself. It was for the best that he hadn't brought it with him on that day, when he had fallen into the river- it was possible that he might have lost it forever, if that were the case.

He'd never admit it, but it was worth a lot more to him than Kazuha would have ever thought. As long as he had it with him, he got the feeling that everything would turn out alright.

 **Don't worry about me, Kudo! I'll be fine, I promise.**

There was something about his words that wasn't fully convincing, and were they alone together, he never would have accepted them. But since he wasn't...

"Alright, I got it, Hattori. Just be sure to come back when you're done."

* * *

"What was that about?"

"What do you mean, Haibara?" Though he clearly understood what she meant, Conan nevertheless found himself playing dumb at the question.

"With Hattori-kun, back there." Ai said simply, a slight cross expression on her face. He knew full well what she was referring to, but if he thought he was going to avoid talking about it just by playing dumb, he had another thing coming. "You seemed concerned."

"Well, that's natural, right?" Conan asked. "After all, he saw the culprit. There's a chance that he might be in danger."

"Hmm." Not entirely convinced that was all it was, Ai merely clasped her hands behind her back, leveling her gaze on him for just a moment longer. "I see. But from the sound of it, he didn't see the culprit's face, did he? Besides, if they really wanted to kill him, they could have done it last night."

"That's impossible. He wasn't in his room last night." Conan said. "Last night, he was watching Junko-san's room with me, to make sure nobody tried to break in."

"Really?" Ai asked, blinking a bit. " _All_ night?"

"Yeah." Conan said, nodding his head, pausing for a moment at her tone. "Why do you ask?"

"No, no reason. Just making sure." Averting her gaze from him, Ai's brow furrowed. Something about that didn't add up. When she had woken up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, she had indeed spotted Conan's small form lingering not far from where she knew Ikeda Junko's room was located. She hadn't paid it much thought at the time, simply assuming that he was doing very much what he had just said, keeping watch, but...

She hadn't seen Heiji with him.

That was strange. Had she simply missed him? No, the view from across the courtyard had been quite clear that night, given the full moon, and it wasn't as if there was any place to hide. If he had perhaps gone to the kitchen for a glass of water or something like that around then, that would be fine, but if he had been using the restroom, there was no way that she could have missed seeing him.

But if that was the case, why was he lying about him being there with him? It wasn't as if she wasn't aware of the fact that Conan was lying to her, about a great many things, but it didn't make any sense in this instance as to why he would do so. It wasn't as if Heiji had anything to hide.

Did he?

As she thought, something really _was_ strange.

* * *

"So, what exactly is he keepin' from me?"

In hindsight, he really should have expected something like this. He just hadn't expected it to happen so _soon_. Kazuha had barely let him walk through the door before she was on him, hovering over him in a way that nearly sent a chill down his spine. Ai had already slipped past them, intent on not getting herself involved with this.

"What do you mean by that, Kazuha-neechan?" Conan asked, hoping that this time, playing dumb would earn him more results. It hadn't worked at all with Ai- rather, he got the feeling he'd actually said something that had only made her more suspicious. Kazuha, on the other hand, at the very least thought he was a real child- if not a weird one.

"I'm talkin' about Heiji, _Heiji_!" Kazuha stressed, kneeling down in front of him, planting her hands on her shoulders. In doing so, she all but cut off his escape route, though he couldn't figure out if that was her intention or not.

"What about Heiji-niichan?" Conan asked, blinking a little. "I don't understand why you'd think he's keeping something from you, Kazuha-neechan. Besides, if you keep saying things like that, then the Inspector will-"

"He told ya not ta say anythin', didn't he?" Kazuha asked, cutting him off.

Sensing that there was no way to argue his way out of this, Conan merely let out a sigh. With any luck, she might not try and pressure it out of him. If Heiji hadn't told her about the voice from last night, he could more or less figure out the reason why- he had similar reasons for wanting to keep the truth from Ran, after all. "...yes."

"I thought so." Kazuha said, finally releasing his shoulders, allowing Conan to breathe easier as she did so. "Sorry, Conan-kun. I'm not mad ta ya or anythin'. I just don't like it when Heiji tries ta keep stuff from me."

"No, I understand." Conan said, giving her a smile. "But it's really nothing serious, Kazuha-neechan. I think Heiji-niichan just has his head full of the case right now, that's all."

"I guess yer not wrong, but somehow, I don't think yer quite right either." Kazuha said, letting out a sigh. "Well, if Heiji really did tell ya not ta say, I won't press the information from ya, Conan-kun. So? How did things at the library go? Did ya find what ya were lookin' fer?"

"Yeah." Seeing no reason to keep that from her, Conan nodded his head. "What about things here?"

"I've been spendin' the whole day with Junko-han, but I haven't noticed anythin' weird." Kazuha said, shaking her head. "Although the Inspector _did_ try an' ask me questions about Heiji once, so ya should probably be careful of that."

"I'll keep that in mind." Letting out a slightly nervous laugh, Conan glanced over her shoulder. "Where are they now? Junko-neechan and the others? The Professor too."

"Junko-han's gone to meditate." Kazuha told him. "Don't worry though, she does have a police officer with her, though Yamamura doesn't seem like he'll spare more than one. As fer the other two, Ishihara-han is tryin' ta get some work done, an' Okazaki-han went down the mountain ta make a phone call. With a police officer by her side, of course."

At the mention of Okazaki Ryoko leaving to make a phone call, Conan's eyes narrowed. Heiji's theory that the culprit might have someone to help them, a third party whose face and name they didn't yet know- or even someone who had committed the actual murder for them, was one that held weight. He'd make sure to ask the police officer who went with her later as to what the details of said phone call were.

As for Ishihara Satsuki's work... well, he'd nose himself right on into that later, to find out what all that was about, to see if it could cast some light on why she might have been having a disagreement with the victim. That said, he doubted that she would do anything that would cast _immediate_ suspicion onto herself while still here, but at the very least, he could gauge her again to see if she was lying.

"As fer the Professor... I think he's in the living room, last I checked. Mind ya, not the one Ikeda-han was murdered in." Kazuha said. "Do ya need that old man fer somethin'?"

"Yeah, to look up some things." Conan told her. "Heiji-niichan said he wanted to look into some more things at the library, so if you want to see him, you'll probably find him around there."

"Sendin' two children back on their own, huh? That's so like him." Kazuha asked, a slight twitch to her eye, planting her hands on her hips. "Well, thanks fer tellin' me, Conan-kun. Ya think ya can help the officer keep an eye on Junko-han while I go see what that fox idiot's up ta?"

"Sure!" Nodding his head, Conan quickly agreed. He doubted the culprit intended to try anything in broad daylight, not when there were this many people coming and going from the place. Still, he'd been proven wrong before in that regard.

He'd rather not see anyone else die on his watch- all the more so because they might be the only hope Heiji had at the moment to get his voice back. If he had it, this investigation would probably be going a lot smoother.

Yamamura probably wouldn't be suspicious of him, for one thing. But on the other hand... if he had it, there was a chance that this case in it's entirety would have been left to him. And that, Conan knew, would have ensured the culprit or _culprits_ , would have been able to forever escape punishment for their crime.

"Then, good luck with Heiji-niichan, Kazuha-neechan!"

Though, knowing the two of them, Heiji was probably the one who needed it the more.

* * *

"Ah, if you're looking for the boy that came in, he left just awhile ago."

"Eh, already?" Puffing out her cheeks a little, Kazuha let out a sigh. If he was already on his way back, and she had just barely missed him, she was going to be annoyed. "Did ya see which way he was goin'?"

"I believe he exited towards the right." The librarian told her. "Didn't say where he was going though. Or much of anything at all, for that matter."

Fighting back the urge to make a quip that of course he couldn't, Kazuha instead thanked the woman for her help, quickly making her way out of the library. So he'd finished whatever it was that he needed to look up here. To the right was the direction she had come here from, so there was a chance that he really was headed back to the Ikeda place, and she had just missed him.

Of course, there was also the chance that he had gone somewhere else, in which case, the odds of finding him were rather low. If it was going to be like that, it would have been better to wait for him to come back, but... well, she'd never really been that much of one for patience. That was something that she and Heiji had in common, though she could be loathe to admit it.

Maybe she should consider investing in a dog whistle.

Either way, for the moment, she might as well head back the way she came. There was a chance she could still catch up with him, if he really was headed back. This time for sure, she would get a straight answer out of him! The more she thought about it, the more she thought for sure that the cause for the kind of expression that she had caught on Heiji's face when she asked him about last night wasn't just simply from exhaustion.

Besides, if a _first grader_ could manage to stay up all night without too many issues, it was almost laughable to think that a _youkai_ , of all things, would have trouble the next morning. Speaking of which though... she really did need to chew him out about letting Conan stay up with him. Lack of sleep was bad at that age!

"Ah, speak of the devil."

He'd almost slipped past her notice, actually. That in and of itself should have struck her as unusual, but she didn't really find herself seeing anything too wrong- until she drew closer to him, that was.

"Hey, Heiji!" Kazuha called out, closing the gap between them. No wonder she had caught up with him so easily, his pace was slower than it normally was, absent of it's usual long, confident strides. "I said, Heiji! Don't ignore-!"

Stopping in her tracks, Kazuha felt the anger wash out of her, her words dying in her throat as if she were the one who couldn't speak. For a moment, she froze on the spot- before instinct took over, a firm hand reaching up to grip his shoulders, allowing her nails to bite into his skin.

"Heiji, I said, _Hei~ji_!"

Whether it was the loudness of her voice, the physical contact, or the biting pain of her nails, he seemed to come back from wherever it was that he had gone. He must have gone far indeed, for she could see his mouth working to form her name, before he quickly reverted to using signing instead.

'Kazuha?'

"Yes, Kazuha." Kazuha said, narrowing her eyes, not yet releasing his shoulder. There was no way she was going to allow himself to weasel out of this one, and she could already see the gears in his head turning, thinking of a way. It would appear that her instincts had been correct. "So? What's with the spaced out look, Heiji?"

'Ya know, the case, the case. I was distracted thinkin' about the case.'

From the way that he didn't make eye contact with her, she knew that wasn't the case. Besides, she had seen Heiji distracted by a case before- and this wasn't that. Actually, she'd never seen him like that before, not even once- and considering that she had been with him since they were both in diapers, that was saying something!

"Yer lyin'." Kazuha said, taking a step forward, her gaze sharpening. "Both now, an' this mornin'. _Lyin_ '."

'I'm not-'

Grabbing his hands, effectively cutting him off, Kazuha leveled her gaze with him. They spoke more to him right now than any words possibly could. No lies, only truths- she wouldn't accepted anything less!

"Tell me the truth, Heiji. What's goin' on?"


End file.
